14 DAY TRIAL // This might come as a surprise to some people, but as it turns out, some hunters are in the habit of using chocolate and other sugary treats as bait. The problem is that, according to a new report issued by University of New Hampshire specialists, chocolate can kill bears.
In fact, the researchers say that it was back in last year's September that as many as four bears living in forests in this corner of the US passed away after feasting on copious amounts of chocolate and donuts. That's right, chocolate doubles as poison when it comes to bears.
How the bears died
The University of New Hampshire experts who performed a necropsy on the four New Hampshire bears and analyzed blood and tissue samples say that the animals appear to have died after being poisoned by theobromine, a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant that is found in chocolate.
They go on to detail that all the theobromine they consumed together with the 90 pounds (nearly 41 kilograms) of chocolate and donuts a hunter was ill-inspired enough to use as bait caused the bears to suffer a cardiac arrest. The animals were all found within 50 feet (15 meters) of the bait.
These two female and cubs whose lifeless bodies were studied by University of New Hampshire researchers aren't the first bears in New Hampshire to die after eating a tad too much chocolate for their own good. Back in 2011, chocolate was blamed for the death of one other bear in the area.
Authorities are looking to solve the problem
Following the release of this report, local authorities in New Hampshire are considering the possibility of banning the use of chocolate, donuts or other sweets as bait. This is because, in the years to come, this practice threatens to kill plenty of other animals.
“The most efficient, effective and enforceable way to eliminate this in the future is to eliminate the chances of any species becoming toxified by chocolate, and to remove chocolate from the woods,” said Andrew Timmins with New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department.
Furthermore, “We view bear baiting as an important management tool. It’s not something we want to go get rid of, but perhaps some modifications need to be made to determine bear baiting practices to eliminate the chances of chocolate poisoning our wildlife.”