I am petrified of bears. Definitely a source of nightmares. So with that bias and understanding stories about bear attacks would keep coming up on my social media feeds if I’ve read one of the stories previously, I have a sense I have come across more bear stories than usual this year. Shark and alligator as well. The latest being the girl in Russia being dragged out of her tent by a bear. I don’t know if something has changed, but I wonder…
A couple of weeks ago I was driving in the countryside around 7 pm in my big F-250 truck, and saw up ahead a sow and 2 cubs coming out of the woods and planning to cross the road. In a split second, she looked at me, I looked at her, and she made the smart decision to turn around and go back into the woods. I felt in that situation I had the upper hand, I was the predator and she was the prey, and she righty understood the proper order of things. But so many times, people forget humans are prey animals too, and don’t act accordingly.
I am absolutely with you on this one, Trish. I do think bear attacks are up. Look what is happening in Japan. And it’s not just bears. There are other animals that seem to be attacking humans more. There may be a spiritual dimension to this uptick in animal attacks. We can comfort ourselves by saying it’s the way we handle our trash and the way we interact with our environment, but that’s like whistling in the dark. I sadly won’t hike in the mountains anymore, because fear of bears has robbed me of any joy. I can hear the howls of opposition already, but there’s a reason bears are not afraid of us. Wildlife policy now seems to prioritize animals above humans.
I live in a very natural campground near a lake in north central Alberta. Last year we had some yearling bear cubs in the area and in our campground. Their mother had 4 babies that winter and could not continue to care for last years cubs, so they were on their own. Sadly, people do not understand how they cause so much of the wildlife attraction with rotting food, easy access garbage cans, etc. Both yearling cubs were subsequently killed as they were not afraid of people.
Some people have commented to me they are not afraid to die by bear. They might be lucky of it is death.
I like to walk our trails with my dog and enjoy the peace and serenity but in the back of my mind I am always concerned that I will encounter that momma bear. I have wondered if I am overreacting. Well, apparently not. Your article has ensured that I will stay safe.
Is bear spray enough? Are bear bangers enough? Especially with a dog.
Brave internet search: "A comprehensive study of 326 human-bear conflicts found that dogs initiated the incident 54% of the time, with dogs involved in 54% of all recorded conflicts.
Historical data from 2010 to 2015 indicated that dogs were involved in 53% of all bear attacks, while another analysis of 92 specific attacks found that 49 (approx. 53%) involved dogs.
Among defensive attacks by female black bears, 40% involved a dog, and in some datasets, 25% of all black bear conflicts involved a canine.
The presence of a dog more than doubles a hiker's odds of having a negative encounter with a bear compared to groups without dogs."
I think I will stick to well travelled trails until winter. Thanks for this Trish. Always nice to see something pop up from you. Loved your interview and follow up questions with Shaun Newman. You are both on my favs list.
Trish, research a town called Pine Mountain Club, Ca. It is only 1 1/2 hours from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.
It is being overrun with bears. They have had an outrageous amount of bear break ins. I think my husband told me 500 in the last 6 months. This is a small village of 2,000 or so homes.
Also, there was a bear in our grocery store the other day. I live in Los Angeles County in a significantly larger city.
Horrifying stuff. Had no idea they go for the face.
I've been meaning to watch Grizzly Man. I've considered moving from the suburbs into the Sierra foothills, but my wife is deeply concerned of the potential for a bear. She has a habit of being able to tell the future in some cases, and so it gives me real pause.
Some years ago our eldest (about 14 at the time) was working at a nearby golf course. It was later September. We lived in a community that had golf cart paths throughout and connected to the golf course. Many people putted around in golf carts. Our child finished his shift and the days were getting shorter and it was dark. He didn't want to walk the less than 1km trek home and called for a ride. His mom asked me to pick him up. It was an early season NFL Monday night so I couldn't leave the couch. I was committed. Off mom went to pick up her baby. She drove our golf cart over fully prepared and armed with bear spray. She retrieved the young lad and headed back. Driving down a hill on the path none other than a big, getting ready for winter, black bear scampered across in front of them. The shadow of the beast against the lights of the cart made it seem even more ferocious and menacing than the panicked image in my wife's mind. She had one hand on the steering wheel with the other white knuckled around her bear spray holding the bottle out to the side while she drove. She reflexively squeezed with all of her might on the trigger depleting the bottle of bear spray just to drive right into the cloud of contaminant she had just unleashed. Her panic grew as the tears of discomfort streamed down her face. Her and the boy's panic likely did more to scare off the poor bear than the spray that never came close to reaching it. The bear went on to retell this story to its friends while she (and he) came home to tell me about their close encounter with the other side.
My son and his wife and baby are going backpacking in the mountains this weekend. I had a concern BEFORE I read this and now I am going to share it with him.
Great read and I really enjoyed your appearance on the Shaun Newman podcast.
A great read. Thanks for writing this piece. Fascinating subject, especially for Canadians where we have bears throughout the nation. Each of these stories are dramatic and distressing, hence they capture our attention. A gripping book on several bear attacks from the late 70s (I think) is The Night of the Grizzly (or Grizzlies). It's about bear attacks in Glacier National Park in Northern Montana (by the Southern Alberta border). With respect to bear spray, that's a false sense of security. It's like wearing a bike helmet while skydiving, who are you kidding that it's going to help.
I’ve read that book about three times. It’s riveting. Best book ever on bear attacks and the environmental factors that led to them. I made the mistake of buying that book On my way into glacier Park about 30 years ago. Needless to say we didn’t camp in the park that year lol
I love your stuff Trish but this one is off. Understandable - I am afraid of bears. Its a good fear to have. But here are some facts that I think are relevant.
There are about 2 million wild bears in the world. So there are 4000 humans per bear. Yet humans kill 50,000 bears every year in Canada and the US alone. Whereas on average, bears kill 3 humans per year. A bear is 66 MILLION TIMES more likely to be killed by a human than a human by a bear. That is not a typo. Leave the bears alone!
I think people think that black bears are the friendlier vs grizzlies. I have spent alot of time in ak. The grizzlies are generally out along the river during the day eating. Went out in the evening, as it was getting dark, no grizzlies around but the black bears came out! I could hear them growling, very eerie sounds! apparently there were two groups that frequently fought and the locals posted signs to warn visitors. People are in their territory and need to use caution, NOT fear porn.
I agree. Totally. Not in any way suggesting we start being mean to bears. I thought, given the research some people might find it interesting. I guess I got it wrong.
A guy I worked with a couple years ago told me a bear encounter story. He lived outside of Vancouver at the time and his apartment was on the upper floor of a building with an outside set of stairs. He got home after a night of drinking to find a black bear on the stairs between himself and his apartment. Him and the bear each kept to their own side of the stairs and shimmied past each other, him on his way up and the bear on its way down. He said it was like him and the bear looked at each other and came to a mutual understanding, you don't mess with me and I won't mess with you.
Just amazed when reading this article Trish , because I can't put down the book :The Tiger by John Vaillant. The similarities are remarkable about the tiger who changed and is now "hunting the humans "for a variety of reasons and the scientists are exploring all the possibilities- a true story . One thing that stands out is how tigers will go after people who have dogs because they see them as being like wolves . Wonder if someone who is good with literature could do a compare and contrast between these books? We all know people have changed from what we used to know in many ways , so why wouldn't the animals as well? The Leap. I do think there is sky spraying , no one really looks up to question anything. Here is my dotty connection from my location here in the heart of the city . Our green box was missed this week for some baffling reason . We were told to leave it out on the curb for 48 hours and someone would return to pick it up - the lid wasn't to be locked . It was pretty high to begin with with raw liver hearts / and bad chicken as some bin items. We used to have Mensa Raccoons who taught the little ones how to unlock the bins - nothing but respect there . When we went to bed , we expected to see the stuff all over the street the next day ... nothing happened : still intact . The biodiversity has been shockingly reduced in our back yard and people in the park saying the same thing . Is it possible, those daily sprayed skies - have been documenting for 2 years now - are reducing the food in the forested areas and now the bears see the humans as at least another source ?
Dear Lord. Sorry Trish but fear monger much? How many people walk in woods do you suppose on any given day in Canada? How many random bear attacks are there? Whatever is driving the peculiar attacks you've mentioned is caused by humans.......I'm not saying the poor couples/ victims are at fault, they did nothing wrong. We live in a rural area and animals are starving like I've never seen, they are covered in mange and tick borne illness, chemtrails daily, our forests are sprayed w glyphosate ffs and who knows what 5g towers etc are doing to the nervous systems etc of these sensitive creatures. It's not a conspiracy, Our government is trying to depopulate us and their environmental tampering it's going to take down animals first. I would still walk in the woods no problem and if I'm killed by a bear then please look after my cat lol.
“chemtrails daily, our forests are sprayed w glyphosate ffs and who knows what 5g towers etc are doing to the nervous systems etc of these sensitive creatures” - well, you’re dragging everything into this. Black bears are far more dangerous to humans than grizzlies, or even Polar Bears. It’s called proximity. We live in a wild country. Even Romania, in Europe, has fatal bear attacks. So no, it’s not the chemtrails, nor the 5g towers which caused this. It’s called nature. Your chances of being hit by lightning are better than being killed by a bear. Nature can be cruel. Stay in your downtown condo - you’ll be safe.
LOL....agree. I find the subject interesting from both an animal and human behaviour perspective and just finished reading Herrero's fine work. We may end up buying a house in Ontario's bear country. Any advice?
I grew up in Northern Ontario and, at last count, have completed 47 back country canoe trips in Algonquin Park. Having encountered dozens of bears in remote areas, I respect their enormous strength but I have no great fear. You are at far more physical risk in Scarborough than the wilds of Ontario. Still, take basic precautions about food storage & disposal and know that having a dog with you raises your chance of bear aggression. For most people it's in their imagination more than reality. Like sharks and snakes. You're far more likely to be hit by lightning than come remotely close to a bear incident. I sleep soundly in my tent and have for over 50 years.
Wildfires are driving wildlife out of their naturally protected habitat towards, or even into, human occupied areas. Without proper forest management this is the price everyone will have to pay. The bears and other wildlife are severely traumatized and confused having to run for their very survival. Difficult times are ahead if both the forestry and wildlife management sectors don't connect and strategize on how to deal with this matter expediently. This includes better public education AND increasing wildlife interventionists.
srsly? Wildfires have existed for millennia. Wildlife adapts. Could Canada do better in forest management? Absolutely, but that had nothing to do with this case.
I am petrified of bears. Definitely a source of nightmares. So with that bias and understanding stories about bear attacks would keep coming up on my social media feeds if I’ve read one of the stories previously, I have a sense I have come across more bear stories than usual this year. Shark and alligator as well. The latest being the girl in Russia being dragged out of her tent by a bear. I don’t know if something has changed, but I wonder…
A couple of weeks ago I was driving in the countryside around 7 pm in my big F-250 truck, and saw up ahead a sow and 2 cubs coming out of the woods and planning to cross the road. In a split second, she looked at me, I looked at her, and she made the smart decision to turn around and go back into the woods. I felt in that situation I had the upper hand, I was the predator and she was the prey, and she righty understood the proper order of things. But so many times, people forget humans are prey animals too, and don’t act accordingly.
Out here in Durham Region there have been about 3 bear sightings on residential streets. Kind of scary
It's probably more dangerous driving to the wilderness than anything in the wilderness.....but!
I am absolutely with you on this one, Trish. I do think bear attacks are up. Look what is happening in Japan. And it’s not just bears. There are other animals that seem to be attacking humans more. There may be a spiritual dimension to this uptick in animal attacks. We can comfort ourselves by saying it’s the way we handle our trash and the way we interact with our environment, but that’s like whistling in the dark. I sadly won’t hike in the mountains anymore, because fear of bears has robbed me of any joy. I can hear the howls of opposition already, but there’s a reason bears are not afraid of us. Wildlife policy now seems to prioritize animals above humans.
I live in a very natural campground near a lake in north central Alberta. Last year we had some yearling bear cubs in the area and in our campground. Their mother had 4 babies that winter and could not continue to care for last years cubs, so they were on their own. Sadly, people do not understand how they cause so much of the wildlife attraction with rotting food, easy access garbage cans, etc. Both yearling cubs were subsequently killed as they were not afraid of people.
Some people have commented to me they are not afraid to die by bear. They might be lucky of it is death.
I like to walk our trails with my dog and enjoy the peace and serenity but in the back of my mind I am always concerned that I will encounter that momma bear. I have wondered if I am overreacting. Well, apparently not. Your article has ensured that I will stay safe.
Is bear spray enough? Are bear bangers enough? Especially with a dog.
Brave internet search: "A comprehensive study of 326 human-bear conflicts found that dogs initiated the incident 54% of the time, with dogs involved in 54% of all recorded conflicts.
Historical data from 2010 to 2015 indicated that dogs were involved in 53% of all bear attacks, while another analysis of 92 specific attacks found that 49 (approx. 53%) involved dogs.
Among defensive attacks by female black bears, 40% involved a dog, and in some datasets, 25% of all black bear conflicts involved a canine.
The presence of a dog more than doubles a hiker's odds of having a negative encounter with a bear compared to groups without dogs."
I think I will stick to well travelled trails until winter. Thanks for this Trish. Always nice to see something pop up from you. Loved your interview and follow up questions with Shaun Newman. You are both on my favs list.
Trish, research a town called Pine Mountain Club, Ca. It is only 1 1/2 hours from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.
It is being overrun with bears. They have had an outrageous amount of bear break ins. I think my husband told me 500 in the last 6 months. This is a small village of 2,000 or so homes.
Also, there was a bear in our grocery store the other day. I live in Los Angeles County in a significantly larger city.
Horrifying stuff. Had no idea they go for the face.
I've been meaning to watch Grizzly Man. I've considered moving from the suburbs into the Sierra foothills, but my wife is deeply concerned of the potential for a bear. She has a habit of being able to tell the future in some cases, and so it gives me real pause.
Some years ago our eldest (about 14 at the time) was working at a nearby golf course. It was later September. We lived in a community that had golf cart paths throughout and connected to the golf course. Many people putted around in golf carts. Our child finished his shift and the days were getting shorter and it was dark. He didn't want to walk the less than 1km trek home and called for a ride. His mom asked me to pick him up. It was an early season NFL Monday night so I couldn't leave the couch. I was committed. Off mom went to pick up her baby. She drove our golf cart over fully prepared and armed with bear spray. She retrieved the young lad and headed back. Driving down a hill on the path none other than a big, getting ready for winter, black bear scampered across in front of them. The shadow of the beast against the lights of the cart made it seem even more ferocious and menacing than the panicked image in my wife's mind. She had one hand on the steering wheel with the other white knuckled around her bear spray holding the bottle out to the side while she drove. She reflexively squeezed with all of her might on the trigger depleting the bottle of bear spray just to drive right into the cloud of contaminant she had just unleashed. Her panic grew as the tears of discomfort streamed down her face. Her and the boy's panic likely did more to scare off the poor bear than the spray that never came close to reaching it. The bear went on to retell this story to its friends while she (and he) came home to tell me about their close encounter with the other side.
My son and his wife and baby are going backpacking in the mountains this weekend. I had a concern BEFORE I read this and now I am going to share it with him.
Great read and I really enjoyed your appearance on the Shaun Newman podcast.
A great read. Thanks for writing this piece. Fascinating subject, especially for Canadians where we have bears throughout the nation. Each of these stories are dramatic and distressing, hence they capture our attention. A gripping book on several bear attacks from the late 70s (I think) is The Night of the Grizzly (or Grizzlies). It's about bear attacks in Glacier National Park in Northern Montana (by the Southern Alberta border). With respect to bear spray, that's a false sense of security. It's like wearing a bike helmet while skydiving, who are you kidding that it's going to help.
I’ve read that book about three times. It’s riveting. Best book ever on bear attacks and the environmental factors that led to them. I made the mistake of buying that book On my way into glacier Park about 30 years ago. Needless to say we didn’t camp in the park that year lol
Humans bait bears to kill them...for entertainment.
I love your stuff Trish but this one is off. Understandable - I am afraid of bears. Its a good fear to have. But here are some facts that I think are relevant.
There are about 2 million wild bears in the world. So there are 4000 humans per bear. Yet humans kill 50,000 bears every year in Canada and the US alone. Whereas on average, bears kill 3 humans per year. A bear is 66 MILLION TIMES more likely to be killed by a human than a human by a bear. That is not a typo. Leave the bears alone!
I think people think that black bears are the friendlier vs grizzlies. I have spent alot of time in ak. The grizzlies are generally out along the river during the day eating. Went out in the evening, as it was getting dark, no grizzlies around but the black bears came out! I could hear them growling, very eerie sounds! apparently there were two groups that frequently fought and the locals posted signs to warn visitors. People are in their territory and need to use caution, NOT fear porn.
FYI-national parks have wardens vs rangers.
I agree. Totally. Not in any way suggesting we start being mean to bears. I thought, given the research some people might find it interesting. I guess I got it wrong.
A guy I worked with a couple years ago told me a bear encounter story. He lived outside of Vancouver at the time and his apartment was on the upper floor of a building with an outside set of stairs. He got home after a night of drinking to find a black bear on the stairs between himself and his apartment. Him and the bear each kept to their own side of the stairs and shimmied past each other, him on his way up and the bear on its way down. He said it was like him and the bear looked at each other and came to a mutual understanding, you don't mess with me and I won't mess with you.
I love this story. They are actually quite timid. Still, I'm nervous around them after doing all of those interviews. Will be forever.
Just amazed when reading this article Trish , because I can't put down the book :The Tiger by John Vaillant. The similarities are remarkable about the tiger who changed and is now "hunting the humans "for a variety of reasons and the scientists are exploring all the possibilities- a true story . One thing that stands out is how tigers will go after people who have dogs because they see them as being like wolves . Wonder if someone who is good with literature could do a compare and contrast between these books? We all know people have changed from what we used to know in many ways , so why wouldn't the animals as well? The Leap. I do think there is sky spraying , no one really looks up to question anything. Here is my dotty connection from my location here in the heart of the city . Our green box was missed this week for some baffling reason . We were told to leave it out on the curb for 48 hours and someone would return to pick it up - the lid wasn't to be locked . It was pretty high to begin with with raw liver hearts / and bad chicken as some bin items. We used to have Mensa Raccoons who taught the little ones how to unlock the bins - nothing but respect there . When we went to bed , we expected to see the stuff all over the street the next day ... nothing happened : still intact . The biodiversity has been shockingly reduced in our back yard and people in the park saying the same thing . Is it possible, those daily sprayed skies - have been documenting for 2 years now - are reducing the food in the forested areas and now the bears see the humans as at least another source ?
Dear Lord. Sorry Trish but fear monger much? How many people walk in woods do you suppose on any given day in Canada? How many random bear attacks are there? Whatever is driving the peculiar attacks you've mentioned is caused by humans.......I'm not saying the poor couples/ victims are at fault, they did nothing wrong. We live in a rural area and animals are starving like I've never seen, they are covered in mange and tick borne illness, chemtrails daily, our forests are sprayed w glyphosate ffs and who knows what 5g towers etc are doing to the nervous systems etc of these sensitive creatures. It's not a conspiracy, Our government is trying to depopulate us and their environmental tampering it's going to take down animals first. I would still walk in the woods no problem and if I'm killed by a bear then please look after my cat lol.
“chemtrails daily, our forests are sprayed w glyphosate ffs and who knows what 5g towers etc are doing to the nervous systems etc of these sensitive creatures” - well, you’re dragging everything into this. Black bears are far more dangerous to humans than grizzlies, or even Polar Bears. It’s called proximity. We live in a wild country. Even Romania, in Europe, has fatal bear attacks. So no, it’s not the chemtrails, nor the 5g towers which caused this. It’s called nature. Your chances of being hit by lightning are better than being killed by a bear. Nature can be cruel. Stay in your downtown condo - you’ll be safe.
LOL....agree. I find the subject interesting from both an animal and human behaviour perspective and just finished reading Herrero's fine work. We may end up buying a house in Ontario's bear country. Any advice?
I grew up in Northern Ontario and, at last count, have completed 47 back country canoe trips in Algonquin Park. Having encountered dozens of bears in remote areas, I respect their enormous strength but I have no great fear. You are at far more physical risk in Scarborough than the wilds of Ontario. Still, take basic precautions about food storage & disposal and know that having a dog with you raises your chance of bear aggression. For most people it's in their imagination more than reality. Like sharks and snakes. You're far more likely to be hit by lightning than come remotely close to a bear incident. I sleep soundly in my tent and have for over 50 years.
Wildfires are driving wildlife out of their naturally protected habitat towards, or even into, human occupied areas. Without proper forest management this is the price everyone will have to pay. The bears and other wildlife are severely traumatized and confused having to run for their very survival. Difficult times are ahead if both the forestry and wildlife management sectors don't connect and strategize on how to deal with this matter expediently. This includes better public education AND increasing wildlife interventionists.
srsly? Wildfires have existed for millennia. Wildlife adapts. Could Canada do better in forest management? Absolutely, but that had nothing to do with this case.
Great points. It must be awful for them.