The attitude of people towards bears has always been one of caution, respect, and, in primitive times, even reverence. Many Amerindians have special veneration for the bear, and any hunter who kills a bear commands considerable respect. In the early days of European settlement, bear hunters made their living hunting and trapping bears, wolves, and cougars because of their presumed danger to livestock and perhaps people. In fact, most black bears kill few large mammals and can not be classified as predators in the same manner as wolves, weasels, or polar bears. They are now prized as game animals, because they are large and elusive and test the skills of hunters and because bear meat if properly prepared is considered highly palatable by many fanciers of wild game.
Black bears are extremely fond of garbage and frequently congregate at dumps.
This habit occasionally leads them into contact with people who enjoy observing the feeding antics of the bears, especially the younger ones. Of course, if the bears demolish some picnicker's lunch, this feeding behaviour is not thought so amusing. Most bears are extremely shy and retiring and usually avoid direct contact with humans. Incidents of black bears attacking humans have been reported but are extremely rare. These attacks were usually made by bears that had been feeding on garbage or by animals in extremely poor physical condition due to old age, disease, or wounds.