Actually I am researching a Northern Californian walk at the moment - and the hiking community - and the park authorities - take bears pretty damn seriously.
Like everywhere else park rangers take a very dim view of walkers who don't follow the rules: in some parks it is mandatory to carry bear-proof containers.
ALL food, and even stuff like toothpaste, deodorant [ who carries that on a tramp?] sunscreen must have secured in these bear containers. If you don't you are likely to be picked up by a ranger and fined on the spot.
Stringing your tucker up between a couple of trees is old-hat. The bears have worked that one out. It is illegal in some parts to do this.
Why all this hassle? Because if bears, [ black, brown, brindle - they're all known as 'brown' bears, as opposed to the fearsome Grizzly - get used to human tucker they turn nasty.
That's when they start ripping into cars, tents, human beings. All the bears are tagged, and if they turn feral, often as not they have to be shot. That's why they make serious bear rules.
Hmmmm , why the hell am I planning on walking among the bears anyhoo....