Bear safari business will stop hand-feeding black bears

Ablack bear observation business in Acadieville, N.B.,that came under fire earlier this week for hand-feeding wildbears, says it will no longer do so.

Richard Goguen, of Little, Big Bear Safari,has been feeding the bears for years without incident.

He gives them meat, apples and nuts,while tourists watch the animals from a viewing tower, 14 metres off the ground.

Butwildlife biologist Graham Forbes called the practice "asinine" and dangerous.

Goguen's wife, Vivianne Goguen, who co-owns the business, said the decision to stop hand-feeding the bears was made, in part, due to the biologist's comments.

The couple also wants to put people at ease, she said.

Still, she doesn't feel the practice put her husband or anyone else in danger.

"He's right in a certain point. We agree that if everybody would start hand-feeding the bears, we'd have a big problem in the area," said Goguen.

"But we've been doing it 15 years and nobody had a bear in the area asking for food," she said. "The bears are in the wild, we keep them in the wild."

The Department of Natural Resources says it's not illegal to feed animals, but does warn against the practice.

The province's Department of Tourism has been using the safari business to promote New Brunswick as a tourist destination.