I was compelled to write this in response to disturbing reports of (what should be rare) attacks by bears on humans here in the Lower Mainland of BC. - the worst parts of which have been the subsequent interviews with 'attackees' revealing they'd followed common advice to "make lots of noise" on seeing a bear(!?)
I can't help feeling concerned that such misinformation is so widely dispensed - it's irresponsible, & as a hiker/ naturalist BCer who's had many encounters with bears - in the wilderness & (more recently) closer to home in my own backyard - I feel the need to set the record straight.. & hopefully prevent any more unnecessary bear attacks!
First, let's debunk the most obvious myth apparently making the rounds: the 'make-lots-of-noise-to-scare-off-a-bear-as-soon-as-you-spot-one' approach, which in my mind is much likelier to provoke a bear attack than anything! This is especially true if the bear is a mom with cub(s) nearby, of couRse.
In fact, that myth has led to at least one recent publicly-reported attack on a human, who when questioned afterward said they "did the right thing & made lots of noise by banging on pots & pans" when they saw the bear. Luckily they weren't harmed - but if they hadn't followed such misinformation in the first place, chances are their encounter would have been incident-free.
Making yourself visible to a bear - without making unnecessary noise - is the best and easiest way to survive bear encounters unscathed, as a bear will usually turn away & take off in the opposite direction as soon as it sees you..
So while bears are considered 'apex predators', black bears (found only in North America) are the shyest & least predatory of aLL the bears - which doesn't mean you can tame one in a day & take it home as a pet souvenir (which is highly illegal!) But bears are omnivores, so they'll get used to eating whatever's most abundant & readily available - including human food, unfortch. It's sad when people think it's OK to offer food to wild bears - despite being repeatedly & strongly advised not to feed bears, either purposely or inadvertently by leaving garbage accessible/ BBQs uncleaned etc.
That last point is CRITICAL: from Oct.-March, keep your home & yard food/ scraps/ waste free.. & NEVER offer food to a wild black bear: once they're used to associating humans with free-&-easy/ reliable food sources, they lose their fear of people & will return to the same spot each year to forage, often becoming aggressive when defending food..
You can find out more fascinating facts about these solitary creatures here:
treehugger.com/surprising-facts-about-black-bears
If you come upon a bear suddenly (eg. Hiking on a trail) assume they're a mom with cubs nearby. DON'T make lots of noise - that may provoke her to lash out! Instead, by all means vocalise to warn of your presence, so that with their excellent vision they'll probably see you first & will likely vacate the area.
If you DO startle a bear at close range (which is unlikely, as their hearing is better than ours - but it's happened b4 & prob will again!) try to keep talking calmly as you make sure the bear has an escape-route away from you, & back away from the bear while facing it the whole time.. without making a fuss.
I've read advice that says you must never approach a bear first. That's not necessarily true: if you're far enough away from it, that's a way to make yourself visible & give it time to lumber away. Also, bears are experts at sensing fear & threats: as long as you don't run at it or start screaming or some other startling/ sudden behavior, bears will in most cases carry on their business & not be interested in you (unless you have unwrapped food on you - NOT recommended!)
After numerous incident-free encounters with bears, I can vouch for these tips to ensure your (& bears') safety in bear country:
(a) Remember you're in their territory (even at home), so be aware & respectful always - of ALL wildlife. When on hikes/ walks in the woods, never stray from designated paths & walkways. When at home in bear country decommission bird feeders (bring indoors til Fall), keep all food indoors & well-wrapped, & use bear-proof dumpsters/ garbage cans outdoors. A few drops of pure pine essential oil scattered around may deter them, as they are said to dislike pine scent. If you have fruit trees they can access, leave them be if you don't mind their presence on your property (& keeping pets indoors, which is another challenge) - you can't blame bears for finding their very fave desserts to eat!) - believe it or not, this is often your most stress-free option! (Unless of course you live in a built-up, high-traffic urban area: in that case, you may have no choice but to call your local wildlife conservation service..
(b) REMAIN CALM at all times
(c) Talk in a normal voice to alert bears if your presence, if there's a lack of crunchy vegetation to do the job (they're NOT brain-dead!) Just like you, bears can find loud obtrusive noises/ irritating too, esp. around their young. From their p.o.v. the sole solution is to silence the noise - ie. By attacking it
(d) Just because a bear's 1st instinct is to run away on seeing you, doesn't mean it's scared of you: if you try & intimidate a bear by confronting it/ imitating it/ roaring loudly/ standing up to it (as I've seen some dumb sites advise) the bear may be provoked or take your behavior as a challenge/ threat, & may lash out at you! (This may seem obvious - but the fact is, misguided info is circulated regularly!) Taken seriously - as it's usually meant - could have even more serious outcomes..
(e) The main thing to remember about bears is: yes they're bigger & stronger than you, but their chief concerns are food (& more food..) & their own families. As long as you don't try to deter their access/ attention to either, there's no need to freak when encountering bear(s) - say hi & move on.. & they'll likely do the same (minus the 'hi' lol - but they may acknowledge you with a lazy 'wassap' lift of their heads before diving back to their mulberry-tree feast..)🌳
(f) Don't stick around to get a snapshot if it's close enough to lunge at you/ your camera: you're already an unwanted intruder in its space, don't push your luck! Best to keep your distance for photographing these gorgeous creatures- you can always zoom in..