There are usually a few options when you encounter a bear. You can 'play dead' which works if the bear feels that you are simply in it's way, they will go past you. You can 'make noise/raise your arms' which will work if the bear meets you, but you aren't in it's way. It will move on rather than provoke an incident with a strange creature.

...this is unfortunately option three.

Reading that it was a mother bear with cubs leads to the third option, 'Fight for your life.' There is no scaring away a mother bear with cubs. She feels her cubs are threatened and will fight to the death. There is no running, there is no scaring it, and yes, Bears can climb trees. Those bears who can't climb trees will simply knock them down.

It's sad that they had to euthanize the two cubs, and that the mother died. I don't call this man a 'hero' of any sort but I don't think he did the wrong thing either. It was his only option.

Unless it's a black bear, in which case it will assume you're a delicious meal.

Or, even if you are in its way, it might be frightened by you and back off.

Yes there is. Been there, done that.

Unless she's aggressive right from the get-go, being quick on the draw with some loud noise (providing you aren't in between them) can get her and her cub(s) running away from you.


And if it's a polar bear and you don't have a gun... maybe just curl up and suck your thumb.


Sorry, I don't want to sound like a know-it-all I've had heaps of bear encounters throughout my quarter-century on this ball of rock.
I'd call him bloody lucky.

I've read where wearing small "jingle" bells can alert a bear of your presence. Pepper spray may help too.


Also, know your surroundings, i.e. be able to recognize bear scat.
It typically has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray.

Oh, Dinner bells! I've seen many hikers wear these!

My grandfather scared off a bear once. He yelled at it and acted threatening. Crazy guy! He didn't club it or anything. He just told it off. The bear ran away. He was very lucky.

This man was very lucky too. Sorry the bears weren't so lucky.

"I once shot at a mountain lion."

"Oh yea? Well I killed a bear. With a stick. After it tore into my skull...b***h."

Man those are some funny comments...I'd really hesitate to carry pepper spray. Half the time you end up disabling yourself with it. That stuff is nasty.

I bet a really loud object would do well, like a fire alarm rigged to a switch. Or a gun too. Ha.

Chinook, where I grew up we grew them in the 1 ton variety. There were alot of situations with Mother and Cubs which were handled by local F&W.

Bears are unpredictable, intelligent, massive creatures. Loud noise might scare off a bear, or it might provoke it. Playing dead might make a bear walk past you, or it might continue to attack. And yes, bears Have attacked people playing dead, it's the reason that when you do play dead you protect your face by lacing your hands behind your neck.

Bear-bells, making noise while you're walking through the brush, not walking through brush.. all these are great tips for keeping them 'at a distance' but once the encounter has been made if a Mother feels you are threatening her cubs, there is only one option. Fight for your life.

Whether it's done with pepper spray or a hand-cannon (Note: Hand cannon, not a 'gun'. 'Guns' are great for noise, but it will probably just piss it off worse.) you don't have the luxury of 'playing dead', 'making noise' or 'walking away slowly'. The mother will destroy anything she feels could be a threat until either her 'threat' or 'herself' is unable to continue.

I never did understand the euthanising part.. for young cubs.. how does that thought process go..

person 1: aww look theres 2 cute little cubs whose mother was just tragically beat to death. Should we put them up for adoption or see if any zoos would take them?

person 2: naw that'd be too expensive, plus other bears in similar circumstances never last long.. I got it!~ lest kill them now b4 they die later.

Person 1: brilliant! That's why you're in charge I guess.

I personally would have loved to have adopted the little bears, I mean this looks like it happened wednesday how long did they realy think about other options?

I agree. You would think that there are enough animal refuges or zoos or something, to give them more options than just offing the cubs.

I'm getting a kick out of reading the comments on CBC's website about this. It seems all of Toronto came out to complain about people encroaching on bear territory and cry about heartless animal killers and whine about Harper (What does the PM have to do with this? You tell me!)

*headdesk* sometimes I don't know how we manage to stay one country

ahem.


I agree. Your first comment just mentioned "bear encounter," and often bear encounters aren't aggressive, so I figured I'd throw my two bits there. Except maybe polar bear encounters. I escaped from 3 angry mamas this summer thanks to skills and luck (and, in one situation, waist deep in a freezing cold lake)... but the countless other bears encounters we had this year were thankfully non-aggressive. About average for me, all things considered.

The redneck Americans staying at the fishing lodge with us couldn't believe we all didn't carry handguns. We were kind of like "wtf?"

The same thing happened to me...except it was a really hairy gay guy.

Ha! Was thinking the same thing. Human "bears" can be just as aggressive...

I'm sorry, I just can't get over that fact that this guy of average height beat a bear to death with a stick. My god! I remember the news story a few years back about the guy who wrestled a bull shark out of the water after it attacked his nephew, but geeeez! Paul friggin' Bunyan, man.

Was he juggling refrigerators during the interview?

I can guaruntee that this guy will never have to buy another beer for himself ever again./

You might want to read a book on keeping bears as pets before you go down that path.

In fact, yeah - that's a good tip I reckon. Don't adopt a bear until you've read a book about keeping them as pets.

You just described what PETA does.

I'd be willing to bet a magazine of 16 .45's would take down a black bear.