We often believe that bears are the cutest, most huggable creatures on the planet. When we were kids, we won’t sleep without our favorite teddy bear toy on our side. A child’s first stuffed animal is usually a bear, and high school girls often get giddy if they receive a nice, fluffy teddy bear from their crush. The truth is, while most bears are majestic to look at, there are rare instances where they attack — and kill — humans. Yes, no matter how cute a bear may see, it can be dangerous.
- Do not come close to a bear. Bears are natural recluse, meaning they would rather mind they own business and not mingle with humans. If you plan to “trespass” their territories, don’t just appear suddenly without any kind of announcement. Always make your presence known either by whistling, singing, talking loudly, or clapping. This gives the bear enough time to stay away from you.
- If you see a bear, leave the area immediately. If a bear sees you, start talking in a low, calm voice and slowly walk away. Keep your eyes on the bear to make sure it doesn’t run after you. Do not act aggressively as the bear will see you as potentially dangerous.
- If the bear sees you, make yourself appear bigger and larger. Bears tend to retreat if they see that the “enemy” is bigger than them. You can stretch your arms or wave it up in the air to create the impression that you are big. Do not play dear nor crouch down or appear frightened. If the bear charges and approaches you, stand your ground and stay calm.
- Know why the bear is attacking you. As mentioned earlier, bears would rather not deal with humans unless they feel threatened. If a bear suddenly attacks you, know why. Perhaps you surprised it out of nowhere or if its sees you as competition from eating a carcass. If a bear attacks at night, it probably sees you as food. Knowing what motivates a bear to attack you will give you an idea how to respond to the attack.
- When everything else fails, escape. If you are an adept climber, the quickest way to escape is to climb up the tree as fast as possible and make sure you climb to the highest point possible. If the tree is located between you and the bear, don’t bother going that route — the bear will most likely beat you to it. Do this only if you’re next to a tall tree. Run in different directions. Bears usually tend to run in a straight line and can’t make a detour as fast as humans can, not can they make sharp turns. When you run away from a bar, run left and then right and not just directly away from it or it eventually catches you.
