 |
Safety in Grizzly and Black Bear
Country
Avoiding
Problems
Problem
Bears
Problems can occur whenever bears and people occupy the same
area. You can encounter a bear by chance, or because the bear
is attracted to your activity. Bears are curious, and often
investigate a strange object, smell, or noise. They also have
a tremendous and constant drive to find as much nutritious
food as they can during their time out of the den. These two
traits, coupled with a bear's remarkable sense of smell, often
lead bears to areas of human activity. The outcome of a bear's
visit to a camp or community will influence its future
behaviour. If it does not find food, it may not return once
its curiosity has been satisfied. If it successfully obtains
food from a human source - such as a garbage dump, backpack,
or unclean camp - it begins to associate food with anything
human, and investigate areas used by humans whether or not
food is actually detected. A bear will gradually lose its
tendency to avoid people as it learns to associate them with
food. It may become bold and aggressive.
Once started, the habits of problem bears are difficult to
break. It is your responsibility as a visitor in bear country
to ensure that your actions do not encourage those habits. It
is unfortunate, but a problem bear is often destroyed.
General
Conduct
Safety is everyone's responsibility - it is not a job that can
be delegated to someone else and then forgotten about. The
actions of each individual affect the safety of everyone else.
Remember these simple rules:
- Be alert at all
times.
- Respect all bears -
they can be dangerous.
- Never approach a
bear for any reason. Photographs should be taken
from a safe distance with a telephoto lens.
- Never feed bears or
other wildlife.
- Have a plan of
action for dealing with bears and be sure everyone
understands it.
- If you are
traveling with small children, make sure you know
where they are at all times.
|
