Death, decay and a dead bear | News, sports, jobs

Of course, it’s always disappointing to see a wild animal lying dead by the side of the road, especially one as majestic as the Black Bear. However, as wildlife educators at ACNC, we are able to use unfortunate circumstances like this as an educational opportunity, and this was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.

Now I like to think I’m good at working with the gross side of nature. I packed up and transported quite a few critters I found on the side of the road. However, a Black Bear was a little outside my comfort zone and the capacity of the trunk of my car. So with a sense of urgency I continued my way to ACNC and immediately called my colleague Katie when I arrived to tell her the news and ask: “Do we want Black Bear?” The answer was of course yes.

I grabbed gloves, a willing volunteer and his truck (thanks Terry!), and copies of ACNC’s salvage permits from New York State, and off we went to retrieve the bear.

After arriving at the location and examining the bear, we were pleased to see that it had not been there very long. There was very little insect activity around it and the body was still easy to manipulate. The heavy bear proved too much for Terry and me to lift, but the road cleaning crew arrived just in time. After reviewing our permits, they happily helped us load the bear into the truck and sent us on our way.

Finding bones is always a highlight for our students and campers, such as the discovery of this deer vertebra. After decomposition, the bear bones are left behind for students to explore and learn from.

But why do we want this bear? For classroom programs, we often use real animal props to demonstrate animal adaptations. We even run a bear program where we bring skulls, fur and paws to schools. However, this bear was not suitable for class visits and we had a different plan. We decided this was a great opportunity to decompose it, and show our students and campers up close and personal with this fascinating process.

After we got the bear safely to ACNC, we put him in the woods. We knew we would have students arriving for school trips in the coming week and this was a great opportunity to show them this part of the natural life cycle first hand. We found a spot that was easily accessible to groups, but far enough off the trail that unsuspecting visitors wouldn’t stumble upon it and let nature do its work.

Within a few days the bear changed completely. It went from a relatively normal-looking black bear to a barely recognizable mass of flies, maggots, beetles and other decomposers having the time of their lives. A few days after that, the bear was no longer shaped like a bear, but looked more like a bear-sized puddle of fur and bones.

The students who saw this bear in these stages were fascinated. Before seeing the bear, I took a group to the garden compost to introduce the topic of decomposition and explained what we would find in the woods. We talked about how the bear would benefit all the animals that would eat it, and the plants that could grow thanks to the nutrients it would add to the soil. As they looked at the bear, the students pointed out all the maggots, beetles, flies, and worms. We noticed which parts of the bear were decomposing the fastest and guessed which parts would take the longest to decompose.

While there were some initial ones “gross” reactions from the children when we first approached the bear, and the smell was not particularly pleasant, fascination won out and by the end it was difficult to get the children away and allow another group to investigate him .

It is always a pleasure to introduce students to new things or new experiences. It’s even more satisfying when an experience they previously thought would be gross or disgusting ends up being one of their favorite parts of their ACNC visit. Yes, the dissolution can be rough. It stinks, the bugs are creepy and it’s sad to see a dead animal. But it also provides the perfect opportunity to talk about the cycle of life, how dead and decaying things help the environment, and give students a memorable and positive experience with this process.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and maintains connections between people and nature. ACNC is located just east of Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown. The trails and outdoor facilities are open from sunrise to sunset. The nature center is open daily from 10am to 4:30pm, except on Sundays when it opens at 1pm. More information can be found online at auduboncnc.org or by calling (716) 569-2345.