Inwood MagWhat To Do If You Encounter A Bear
Bear attacks are fairly rare, but every year there are one or two incidents reported in the news. Bears, like most wild animals, avoid contact with humans and usually do not seek to attack us. However, in some circumstances attack do occur. If you live in, or are planning to visit, an area with native bears, it would be wise to keep in mind some basic guidelines in order to protect yourself just in case you encounter a bear.
First of all, the phrase “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies to bear safety. Understanding bears and how they behave is very important in keeping yourself safe. For example, when hiking you should sing or talk, and travel in a group if possible. If bears can hear you coming they will most likely just avoid contact. Since bears will attack when surprised, it is best give them some warning when you are out for a hike.
Another way you can prevent contact with bears is by not leaving food or trash out where they can get into it. Bears, like most other animals, become accustomed to regular food sources and will consider it their territory if they regularly obtain food in a particular area. By keeping food and garbage out of reach around your home or campsite, you will avoid attracting “regular customers”.
If you live in an area near bears, having a large dog who barks at “intruders” can be another way of scaring bears away from your property. Certainly most dogs would not be a match for a bear, but generally bears are looking for food, not a fight. A sudden loud noise such as barking will usually be enough to persuade them to look for food elsewhere (although leaving dog food outside might provide too much temptation, so feed your dog indoors or remove his food bowl from the yard or porch when he is finished eat). Also consider outside lights with a motion detector. This will alert bears to the presence of humans if they prowl around your house at night.
If your efforts at preventing contact fail, and you do encounter a bear, you need to know what to do. Do not panic, and remember that bears are usually as afraid of you as you are of them. If you have surprised the bear by walking onto his territory in the woods, slowly back away, making sure not to look threatening. Do not make eye contact, as this is how many animals confront one another. Most animal attacks happen because the animal feels their safety is threatened. Mother bears are particularly notorious for this; even if you don’t see any cubs does not mean they are not nearby. Showing the bear that you intend to leave their area and mean them no harm is the best course of action.
On the other hand, if the bear has sought you out for contact, then this is not an instance of him feeling defensive. In this case he is not defending himself, but is on the offense. Running will only activate his predatory instincts. If he is on your property you can yell, make noise, or clap your hands to demonstrate to him that you are dominant here. If getting away or scaring him away are ineffective, playing dead is usually the best route. Curl into the fetal position, making sure to protect your head, until the attack passes.
In most cases, death and serious injury can be avoided through preventive efforts or playing dead. If you carry pepper spray when hiking, this can be helpful in some cases, but it is important to remember not to spray every bear you encounter since this may just anger them and make them attack. Instead, use such measures only if you are being attacked, or if an attack is imminent. Avoid making bears feel threatened, or being seen as a food source, are the two main ways to prevent a bear attack.
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