About 15 years ago I attended a bear awareness course by James Gary Shelton. I consider this chap to be one of Western Canada's most experienced and educated bear awareness and defence instructors. So many of the indicators of bear behaviour that Mr. Shelton described gave me cold shivers because I recognized many of them.
Below are some of my notes from Mr. Shelton's bear awareness course. I often refer to them to ground myself in some of the basics of managing yourself in close bear encounters.
Please give the following read some consideration if you spend any amount of time in locations frequented by bears (stay tuned for a primer on bear defense)...
1. Bear Behaviour Summary (adobe reader required)
2. Human Response to Bears
Dangerous Beliefs and Misconceptions:
1. “If you give a bear, exhibiting predatorial behaviour, it's space and back away quietly during an encounter the bear will leave you alone”
Predatory Behaviour from Bears is not as rare as you probably believe. You need to be as threatening and as big as you can in these circumstances. Don't be quiet and be prepared to fight.
2. “Its his fault he was attacked, killed and eaten by a bear because he was hiking in Bear Habitat”
Would it be sensible to claim that Native North Americans were attacked by bears because they invaded “bear habitat”? First nations had to enter nature to obtain what they needed for survival – and so do we.
Would it make sense to say that Moose get attacked by bears because they are entering “bear habitat”?
Humans have a necessity to work, live in and travel through nature – we are still a part of the ecosystem.
Even though most people now live in cities, there is a large contingent of rural field workers who exploit natural resources mainly for the benefit of those that live in urban environments. Is it logical for city dwellers who live in wood-frame houses to claim that logging engineers asked to be attacked by bears because they were invading bear habitat”?
3. “If you leave bears alone – they’ll leave you alone”
This one gets people in trouble all of the time. You often hear a common theme behind discussions regarding bears such as
“All nature and animals are good and all humans are bad and bears don’t attack unless people cause them to.”
This is mainly prevalent in the big cities and most rural people know better
4. “If you play dead the bear will leave you alone” All through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s it was believed by most biologists that when attacked by a bear the best thing to do is to roll up into a ball and play dead. Most government pamphlets and literature advised people to play dead during an attack.
The statistics show that most attacks resulting in death were instigated by bears exhibiting predatorial behaviour. Playing dead is THE LAST THING YOU DO IN THIS SCENARIO!
Never ever play dead in a scenario involving a black bear - fight until you can't fight any more.
Grizzly Bears exhibiting defensive aggressive behaviour may dissengage from the attack if you play dead.
Regardless of species - if the bear is exhibiting predatyorial behaviour do not play dead. To do so only presents the bear with an easy meal. I can't think of a worse way to die.
5. “Bear populations are on the decrease and in many places in BC bears are endangered. This is due to harvesting of old growth habitat and over-hunting”
FALSE!!!!!
Bear Populations in the coastaly influenced regions of BC are on the increase as timber harvesting provides gaps in the landscape promoting lush vegetation growth and subsequently more available forage.
Other industrial activities like mining do not endanger bears because of the very small area of impact.
With the existing restrictions on hunting and logging in drier areas such as BC’s southern interior bear populations are not endangered.
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