A female black bear, known as a sow, and her cub were recently photographed by Beverly Meekins feeding on a black cherry plant’s berries at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
While it might look like the mother bear is getting ready to take a bite out of a branch, bears seem to have an inspection that stops them from eating overindulging in the plant, which can be very toxic.
While berries are eaten by a wide variety of mammals and birds, the foliage and branches contain a cyanide compound that is harmful to livestock and other animals. The foliage will kill goats and sheep and make horses and cows very sick depending on how much they eat. Wilted leaves are the worst because the drying process concentrates the cyanide compound.
People who have livestock know to remove the plants from around pastures or watch out for fallen limbs after storms.
