Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away. To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn.
Avoid direct eye contact. Walk away slowly, if the bear is not approaching. If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it). Don't scream or yell.
If the bear is stationary, move away slowly and sideways; this allows you to keep an eye on the bear and avoid tripping. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears. Do NOT run, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground. Bears can run as fast as a racehorse both uphill and down.
If you run into a bear in the wild or in the city, remember to: Make yourself look big – stand tall, raise your arms and spread your legs. Don't make eye contact with the bear – they may see this as a threat or a challenge. Make loud noises – yell, clap your hands, use a bear bell, or bang things together.
Bear Attacks. Although the bear safety rhyme “If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, goodnight” sounds like good advice, you have to know why a bear is attacking you before you can decide the best way to respond.
Black Bears Rarely Become Aggressive
“Know what to do when you see a bear. NEVER run from a bear. Don't approach a bear – just quietly move away and leave the area. However, if a black bear does approach you, make yourself look big, make loud noises, clap your hands, and continue to back away.”
When hiking, periodically yell "Hey bear!" to alert bears to your presence, especially when walking through dense vegetation/blind spots, traveling upwind, near loud streams, or on windy days. Avoid thick brush whenever possible.
The National Park Service does not recommend that you whistle, use a whistle or scream—these noises can sound like an animal in pain, which may actually attract a bear. Most bells sold as “bear bells” are not loud enough to be useful until the bear is already very close.
A handy way to keep a safe distance from wildlife is to use the rule of thumb. Give the wildlife a thumbs-up. Close one eye to see if it's completely out of sight. If you can see any part around the edge of your thumb, you're too close!
Most bear species make vocalizations that sound like a huff, chomp, woof, growl, and/or bark which mean the bear is agitated, angry or annoyed. A bawl, bellow, squeal or whimper indicates pain. A mumble, hum, or purr indicates contentment.
In most situations, a grizzly bear will act defensively. Remember, the bear is acting aggressively to defend its personal space, cubs or food source, and if you are not perceived as a threat, the bear should leave the area.
A 'bearhug' is when the bear hugs his prey tightly with both hands and presses him to death. There are indeed similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in every language.
Unlike brown bears, polar bears are not territorial. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight. Satiated polar bears rarely attack humans unless severely provoked.
They may be curious and feel threatened or they may just be curious. If you see a bear standing up with its ears facing forward, than the bear is just trying to get a better look at you and figure out what you are.
Walk away slowly to a car or building or, if that's not possible, fight and focus your blows on the bear's face, the park service and experts say. To remember what to do in a bear crisis, wildlife experts often cite this refrain: “If the bear is black, fight back. If the bear is brown, lie down.”
Bears Are Often Spotted Admiring Beautiful Vistas, Suggesting They May Have a Sense of Beauty. Bears have long been admired for their beauty, with their thick fur, powerful build, and majestic presence. However, apparently they themselves may also have a sense of beauty.
Avoid being out at dusk, night or dawn.
Although bear encounters can happen at any time of day, bears are most active at dusk, night and dawn.
Grizzly Bears have 20 claws, several inches in length, one on each toe of their four feet. Silverback Gorillas have nails on their fingers and toes like humans. The grizzly would more than likely win in a fight against a Silverback gorilla.
?The bite force of a bear measures at 975 psi; between that of the lion and the tiger.
To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms.
Big beach balls tossed at bears often scares them off, as do opening and closing an umbrella, shaking a big tarp or garbage bag, or banging pots and pans. If a bear climbs up a tree to escape, yell at it and beat the base of the tree with a baseball bat or heavy stick.
Bears also dislike the strong scent of pine-based cleaners, but avoid using anything with a fresh, lemony or fruity smell. And never mix bleach and ammonia; the combination produces fumes that can be deadly to both people and bears.
Black bears, for instance, are usually less aggressive and more tolerant of people. They often live near human settlements, whereas grizzly bears prefer to stay away from human settlements and are often extirpated from heavily used or populated areas.
Bears of similar social rank share elaborate greetings of rubbing and sniffing. Males and females use these same social signals during the mating season.
Black bears use sounds, body language, and scent-marking to express their emotions of the moment. Amiable sounds are grunts and tongue clicks used by mothers concerned for their cubs and by bears approaching other bears to mate or play. Cubs make a motor-like pulsing hum when they nurse or are especially comfortable.