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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.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/grizzly-bear-attack-yellowstone-what-to-do-advice-171839322.html
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.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/grizzly-bear-attack-yellowstone-what-to-do-advice-171839322.html
