Bear facts

[Raymond]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8320414.stm

 

[Abster]

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Indeed. Everyone knows about bear attacks, or at least we think we do.

There was a show on TV a while back about a guy who hangs out with bears, in a less scientific way. He WAS 'attacked' a few times, not seriously, but he says it's just normal bear behavior to bite and claw.

 

[DrewKnight]

Thanks, Raymond... really good article. Hope I can see the show on BBCAmerica.

I shared the link with a good friend who suffers paralyzing FOB (Fear of Bears).

 

[Grumpy]

Knowing it can be risky to cite Wikipedia as a source, I nonetheless direct your attention to its entry on “bear attacks in north America”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

Read the list, especially.

Without having studied the list in detail, I will say my overall impression is that the number of reported fatal attacks on humans by black bears seems to have increased in latter years, especially in proportion to attacks by brown bear species. If nothing else, this suggests the black bear as benign creature well may be a myth in our current age.

I’m not one to advocate tramping around in fear of woodland critters. But I do think it is important to know and respect them for what they are, rather than some romanticized notion of what we would wish them to be.

Yust sayin’ …

G.

 

[Chip]

I've always thought of Black Bear as really big racoons; primarily interested in food, have the ability to bite and claw if cornered, but not a "Life Threat". Allergic reactions to bees kill more people, by far, but I bet more hikers carry Bear Spray then Epipens.

Having said that, Karma now dictates that the guy in the linked article will be attacked for no apparent reason.

 

[Seeker]

Knowing it can be risky to cite Wikipedia as a source, I nonetheless direct your attention to its entry on “bear attacks in north America”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

Read the list, especially.

Without having studied the list in detail, I will say my overall impression is that the number of reported fatal attacks on humans by black bears seems to have increased in latter years, especially in proportion to attacks by brown bear species. If nothing else, this suggests the black bear as benign creature well may be a myth in our current age.

I’m not one to advocate tramping around in fear of woodland critters. But I do think it is important to know and respect them for what they are, rather than some romanticized notion of what we would wish them to be.

Yust sayin’ …

G.

I think a healthy respect is definitely merited, although the increase in attacks by black bears is likely related more to the overlap in human and bear territory. Interesting that most attacks have occurred in Canada.

Great link Raymond--thanks for sharing!

 

[Little Rickie]

Having said that, Karma now dictates that the guy in the linked article will be attacked for no apparent reason.

I bet you're right.

 

[Chip]

... although the increase in attacks by black bears is likely related more to the overlap in human and bear territory. Interesting that most attacks have occurred in Canada.

The idea of human development encroaching on animal habitat is kind of a pet peeve of mine. It's an idea that PETA promotes to encourage land owners to donate land to preservation status. I suppose it's possible in Canada and Alaska where maybe a drilling or mining town (I almost wrote "miming town" - that would be funny, a village of encroaching mimes ) sprung up in the middle of polar or brown bear territory, or where loss of sea ice has forced polar bear into town, but the VAST MAJORITY of dangerous deer, moose and bear encounters are a result of their exploding populations in the last 50 years, not of over development. Our expansive bedroom communities bordered by parks, preserves and open spaces are perfect habitat.

 

[Snowflea]

The idea of human development encroaching on animal habitat is kind of a pet peeve of mine. It's an idea that PETA promotes to encourage land owners to donate land to preservation status.

Hmm... Odd that when I do a google search of "human encroachment on animal habitat," PETA shows up just twice: a number 20-something hit, then again a number 80-something hit. Jus' sayin'...

 

[brianW]

I am still trying to get the "encrouching mimes" out of my head. At least they're quiet.

 

[Chip]

Hmm... Odd that when I do a google search of "human encroachment on animal habitat," PETA shows up just twice: a number 20-something hit, then again a number 80-something hit. Jus' sayin'...

Perhaps I should have said PETA "is currently promoting this very idea with many NY Metro Area (and probably National) radio advertising spots."

 

[jniehof]

The idea of human development encroaching on animal habitat is kind of a pet peeve of mine.

I don't know to what extent it contributes to dangerous encounters, but my experience on the family farm (Cascade, MI; formerly countryside but now a suburb of Grand Rapids) backs up the development problems. Every time a new condo complex/subdivision would go up, crop damage would take another spike. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Plenty of pressure on the population, too; with that level of damage there's no problem getting doe tags.

As you can probably guess I'm no big believer in PETA, but I'm not a believer in developing greenfields, either.

 

[Davehiker]

I think that anyone interested in being in the backcountry where bears are present should try to read Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance. This book is a wealth of good, practical, well documented information on both black and brown bear behavior, their interactions with humans, and to a lesser extent, bear management strategies.
I feel that the scope of this book is wider than the information presented in the BBC article.

 

[Chip]

I don't know to what extent it contributes to dangerous encounters, but my experience on the family farm (Cascade, MI; formerly countryside but now a suburb of Grand Rapids) backs up the development problems.

Certainly possible in an area like that where the flora/fauna profile has been more stable for the last 200 years. The northeast has more woods now than it did 100 years ago, by far. 200 years ago it's estimated there were 12 deer TOTAL in Connecticut. So around here, it's primarily animal populations increasing that are causing interactions to increase.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I think that anyone interested in being in the backcountry where bears are present should try to read Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance. This book is a wealth of good, practical, well documented information on both black and brown bear behavior, their interactions with humans, and to a lesser extent, bear management strategies.

I'll second that recomendation. Also, if you are interested in some other things to read, check out some of these:

http://mudhead.uottawa.ca/~pete/bearnotes.txt