The misunderstood Black Bear and other animals
The first item to say is that they are not pets, they are not for selfies and they can be very dangerous if the human who is interacting with them does not act appropriately.
Black bears have been misrepresented for years by movies and self-promoting people. They are normally quite shy and gentle. The facts explain them better than I could ever do.
Here are the facts concerning the black bear and its relationship to man.
- Black Bears are not vicious killers. They will protect their young and food like all other animals including humans. They truly do not want to be around humans and if given the chance in all but extremely rare occasions they will leave.
- Since 1900, 71 people have been killed by bears in the US including Alaska. Grizzlies killed 47, black bears killed 23 and one person was killed by a polar bear. See reference links below.
- Here are some of those stats:
Major predators that kill less than one person per year are sharks, alligators, wolves, mountain lions and bears.
Domestic animals that kill multiple people per year are deer that kill over a hundred persons per year due to car accidents, dogs kill 28, cows kill 20 and other mammals kill 52.
The number one killers besides the deer which are not true attacks are bees, wasps and hornets who kill 58 people a year.
Before you freak out over people being killed by animals think about the big picture. Animals kill around 200 people per year. Cars accidents kill around 25,000. Heart attacks kill over 600,000 per year. Watch out for those chips and dip. Of the people killed each year animals kill well less than 1 percent.
Now back to the bears. Out of the 71 people killed 21 where female and 50 were males. Most of these where killed in the backcountry. Many where hunting (attacking the bears) or fishing and taking their food and as noted before out of those figures only 23 where black bears.
One quick note about a group of animals that are given a very bad name because of Hollywood and others, that group is the wolf. Simply put (stats on the last page) there has not been one human killed by wolves in the continental U.S. according to the Oregonian report and others since 1900. The facts clearly show how wrong most people are about the animals.
They do defend themselves, their young and food but killing humans is not really their style.
The last page of this article will have the stats listed as well as the websites and agencies that have compiled this information so you can look it up for yourself.
Hints on getting along with the bears:
- DO NOT FEED the bears. You are not helping them and as the saying goes “A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR”.
- Do not approach a bear. They are not pets. They do not cuddle and selfies are not something they like to be in. Stay back and leave them their privacy.
- If by chance you come close to a bear don’t panic. Be calm. In most cases the bear will turn and run away. If not then depending on the distance you have options. IF the bear is a safe distance away you can make noises, beat on things like pans and they will leave most of the time. IF they are close and I mean close like a few feet or yards away just stand still. Do not stare in their eyes as it might be seen as a challenge. Do not make sudden moves like raising you cell phone for a picture. That could be seen as an attack as a bear has no idea what a phone is or what it does. I look at them in the eyes for a second or two and then look at their nose or forehead. I do not stare. I talk to them quietly and calmly. That seems to drop the level of concern. Unless you are perceived as a threat they have no reason to come after you. I allow them to make the first move. In the years I have photographed them I have not made the first move. In every case they have settled down and walked away. I am not telling you it works for you or every time but it does work. If you feel you must do something then back away real slow. You should not turn away, do not run and for heaven’s sake do not try to climb a tree. Again if the bear has an escape route they will almost always take it.
- If they do attack you fight back with all your ability and anything you can get your hands on to help you.
- If cubs are involved in a close encounter then remember that mom will always protect them but she does not want a fight. If she gets hurt the cubs will die and they seem to know that. They will usually tree the cubs (have them climb a tree). Mom will then determine if you are a true threat. IF you do something to scare the cubs like scream to tell others they are there. Point things at the cubs or run to try to get a close picture or selfies than you have a problem coming at you very quickly. In my experiences I have had two encounters like this. Both times on a trial I got between a mom and her cubs. It is an unsettling feeling. However, in both cases things went well. The cubs were not frightened and made no serious cries for help. Both moms treed the cubs and then watched me as I backed out of the area. They had no intent to harm me or attack me as I was not a threat. A note, I also did not raise my camera and point it at them. They were far too close to take that chance.
INFORMATION ON DEATHS BY ANIMALS
WOLF
A 2002 report prepared for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game found no human deaths in North America attributed to wild, healthy wolves since at least 1900.
In 2011, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said that no wolves have attacked humans in the Rocky Mountain states. The Oregonian newspaper investigated the claim. A reporter contacted the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, where a spokesperson stated that wolves have not attacked humans in the lower 48.
BLACK BEARS
THIS IS NOT TRUE BLACK BEAR BEHAVIOR. IT IS TO JUSTIFY SOME PEOPLE’S TREATMENT OF THEM. They do not stand up like this to attack. Try to image a bear standing like this and running after you. They stand to see things better. It is not an aggressive move. Neither is huffing, clicking of the lips or teeth or pawing the ground. You are making them nervous if you can believe it. They may fake charge also. Pay attention to their body language and be aware of what it means.
OTHER ANIMALS
According to the reports listed below the cause of death by animals has a totally different basis than the top end predators. It is the bees, wasps and hornets that kill the most humans. Animals like sharks, alligators, rattlesnakes, bears, wolves, mountain lions and others cause less than one death per year and then only if you are in certain areas of the wild. You are far more likely to die from a car accident, hitting a deer or choking on food than by one of the major predators.
The other place that can be quite deadly is the farm. Cows, horses and other livestock cause far more deaths than those predators listed above. Cows alone kill on average 20 people a year and dogs kill on average 28 persons per year and choking to death happens about 3000 times a year.
I hope this puts things in perspective for you. These animals are wild and yes they can attack but attacks are very rare and usually avoidable if you take the right precautions.
CHECK OUT THE BEAR IMAGES IN THIS BOOK OR AT ONE OF THE LISTED WEBSITES FOR PICTURES OF THE BEARS TO SEE HOW NON-HABITUALIZED BEARS NORMALLY ACT.
www.davidgeorgephotography.com and www.bellaluna.co
Please be safe and bear friendly. Do not feed them or leave trash out where they can find it. Listen to the rangers and camp hosts when in those areas. These links are for the online article but the readers of this book can look them up by their web locations and article titles in the links.
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/bear/
https://www.thedodo.com/how-many-people-killed-by-wolves-1413351180.html
https://www.vox.com/2016/10/6/13170344/bear-attacks-national-state-parks (check this out for stats on what states people have been killed by bears and how many since 1900) Tennessee has had TWO since 1900. Collectively, 305 million people visit America’s national parks each year. Another 725 million visit the country’s thousands of state parks. Adjusting for population over time (and accounting for frequent visitors), it is reasonable to believe that at least 25 billion people have come to these parks — or the land that was there before the park was inaugurated — over the past 116 years. Out of these 25 billion visitors, 71 have been killed by bears. For this view, I’ll take my chances: Article by Zachary Crockett on VOX.com.