Living harmoniously with wildlife is not something western society has been able to do very well in the past. That being said, in the last few decades we have witnessed a societal push for more sustainable management of our wildlife species and wild places. With these values in mind we find ourselves asking what can we do better? How can we alter our own behaviour in a way that makes living with bears easier. Courtney Hughes has been researching the social dimensions of bears, and other wildlife, for years now and has some thoughts on how we can create successful interactions between bears and all land users.