What to do if you encounter a bear on your next hike or camping trip
Play dead or fight? Stay quiet or make noise? Experts share lifesaving tips after a deadly grizzly attack near Yellowstone National Park.
A woman near Yellowstone National Park was recently found dead after a suspected grizzly bear attack, and black bear populations in most areas of the United States are increasing. But Dan Baird, head instructor at California Survival School, says many poor encounters are “basically a cultural miscommunication between us.”
Yahoo News spoke with Baird and Cat Bigney, an anthropologist and international survival consultant with Boulder Outdoor Survival School, to learn more about how to stay safe in the wild — and what to do if you find yourself face-to-face with a bear.
How common are bear attacks?
“Bears tend to stay away from humans,” Baird said. “We have over a million car accidents a year caused by deer, and usually hundreds of deaths or severe injuries. Whereas, for instance, in 2018, there were two deaths by bear attack.”
What kinds of bears might you encounter in the U.S.?
Black bears: Baird said black bears are “almost like big raccoons,” which are curious and avoid humans — unless they’ve become accustomed to eating human food and trash. “There are some areas in the United States where black bears are fairly aggressive,” Bigney said, “because they've been encroached upon and they sort of assimilated human food into their diet. But where I work in Utah, the black bears are very, very timid.”
Brown bears: Grizzly bears, a type of brown bear, have longer claws and are generally more predatory. Baird said that grizzlies can often be around humans without incident, but that they are normally more territorial and aggressive. “We're not as likely to run into grizzlies as we are black bears, by a large margin.”
Polar bears: They can be found in Alaska on sea ice, in marine waters and on land — usually near the coast.
What are 'best practices' for avoiding an encounter if you see a bear in the wild?
Don’t turn your back. “Whether it's a grizzly bear or a black bear, don't turn your back. If the animal doesn't see you, you're very fortunate, and you can slowly back away, but always keep your eyes on the animal and stay really focused,” Bigney said.
Don’t run. “You shouldn't run away, because it's obviously going to alert them — and then that's something for them to chase,” she added. “And bears are very fast. You're not going to outrun them.”
Stay calm. “If the animal sees you, you're going to want to make yourself known in an assertive way,” Bigney said. “Even though the animal may not understand you, it's going to understand your tone, and also if you're emitting fear or confidence.”
Give them space and make noise. “With black bears, the best thing is to not block their way out and to make a lot of noise, and generally they tend to leave as long as they don't feel cornered or trapped,” Baird said.
If a bear attacks, what should you do?
How you respond may depend on whether it’s a defensive or predatory assault.
When you should play dead: The National Park Service says that if a brown bear attacks defensively (i.e., because it feels threatened), you should play dead, by lying flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck, and keep your backpack on for extra protection. Stephen Herrero, author of "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance," told the New York Times that playing dead lets the bear know you're not a threat and can cause it to back off.
When you should fight: But if attacked by a black bear, NPS says you should not play dead and instead fight back, using anything available — unless you can escape to a secure area like a car or building. If a grizzly bear attack continues even if you play dead, NPS says you should “fight back vigorously” with blows focusing on the face. Or if the attack is predatory (i.e., a bear is stalking you because it’s hungry), you should struggle with all you’ve got. “I know people that have fought off grizzlies. It's luck of the draw, and it's really messy,” Baird said. “Grizzlies can attack to kill, so if you're going to fight, I'd be using hands, knives, whatever I have at hand. But your chances of winning that are slim.”
Bigney added that every situation is different and there are no guaranteed methods. “If it's a mother and cub, there may be nothing you can do. You may have just been a very unlucky hiker. Or if you encounter a really hungry polar bear, you may not have the opportunity to do anything. That's just when wildlife wins.”
What can you do before a hike or camping trip to prepare yourself?
Travel with a group. If you’re chatting and making noise with other people, any bears nearby are likely to hear you and know to steer clear.
Bring a whistle or something that makes noise. Loud sounds will help make your presence known to any animals in the area, especially if you don’t have travel companions.
Carry bear mace, and know how to use it. “Bear mace isn't foolproof, but it will help deter an animal,” Bigney said. “If the bear was approaching me and I could not maintain a safe distance from that bear, then I would initiate the bear mace. I wouldn't walk up to a bear and spray it.”
Make sure food is contained. Bigney suggests using an airtight container so it doesn’t emit any odors that could entice a bear. “Also, if you're cooking in clothes that smell a lot like food after you're done cooking, if you’re camping, make sure you're not sleeping in those clothes.”
Follow advice from local authorities. “Get information from locals who know how to interact with the bears in their area,” Baird said, “and follow their preparation advice when it comes to storing your food, staying out of the bears' way, and defensive measures that they prefer, whether it's bear spray, firearms or something else.”
