Black bears use sounds, body language, and scent-marking to express their emotions of the moment. The main thing that helped me get over my fear of bears was learning their…
By Lynn Rogers, PhD In working closely with wild bears for over 50 years, I have gradually become more and more comfortable with them as I learned their “language” and…
This is probably the most common question we hear. The standard answer nationwide is, “Speak calmly and back away slowly.” This is good advice. It identifies you as a person,…
This picture shows harmless bluster by a nervous black bear—a mature female. She made her muzzle long and narrow, lunged forward, blew loudly, and slammed her front feet down into…
No. Most people are afraid near bears and are not attacked. Black bears are not looking for a vulnerable person to attack. Their first concern is that they will be…
Untrue. The mothers’ metabolic rates are slowed by hibernation, but they wake up to birth and care for the cubs like other mothers do. Many “experts” spout this myth as…
Untrue. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about black bears. Mother black bears are highly unlikely to attack people in defense of cubs. Mother black bears rarely attack people…
Untrue. Although government brochures warn people about it, there is no evidence for this misconception. In 1967, grizzly bears in Glacier National Park killed a menstruating woman and a woman…
Untrue. This is a total myth—as it is for other young birds and mammals. Touching baby birds and mammals does not cause parents to reject them because of human scent….
Untrue: Most of the time bears smell clean and fresh. Bear Breath A high compliment would be to say someone has bear breath. People who actually smell bear breath usually say…
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