Man, you better not feed the bears: Expert proposes chocolate bait ban

An American bear expert is proposing to ban chocolate being used as bait after four black bears were found dead at one trapping site in New Hampshire due to a chocolate overdose. The Concord Monitor reports that two cubs and two adult bears were taken to labs at the University of New Hampshire. Necropsies and toxicology reports confirmed they died of heart failure by poisoning of theobromine, a toxic ingredient in chocolate.

First, the concentration of dead bears found at the site is unprecedented, and the direct link between the chocolate and the death of an adult bear is rare.

Andrew Timmins, New Hampshire state Fish and Game Department’s bear project leader

Andrew Timmins, who is the state Fish and Game Department’s bear project leader, said at a Fish and Game Commission meeting Wednesday that the best way to stop this from happening again is to remove chocolate from the woods. In this case, an experienced hunter used 90 pounds of chocolate and doughnuts as bait in September. The bears died nearby. The deaths from chocolate appear to have been unintentional, reports the Monitor. The male hunter, who has not been named, reportedly said he’s been trapping the same way for 15 years.

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