Bears have recently become a great passion of mine, and I’ve read countless books and articles to educate myself on accurate information. Subsequently, one of my great frustrations in life is human’s misunderstanding of bears, namely grizzlies. I think we can all agree our perceptions on just about everything are shaped by media; what we see in the newspaper, hear on TV, read on Facebook, etc. etc. etc. I think we can all also agree that the most memorable attention goes to bear attacks. This is unfortunate because bear-to-human attacks happen so infrequently, that by comparison human-to-human attacks IN ONE DAY, IN JUST ONE CITY IN AMERICA are double to triple the number of bear attacks in a year.
While talking yet again with someone about grizzlies in Yellowstone, my blood pressure and frustration quotient began to rise. This person believes there are far too many bears in the world now. He believes they are cold-blooded killers who would sooner eat a human than pass them by. He also believes carrying a gun when hiking or hunting in the backcountry is the best form of protection against bears. I disagree on all accounts.
First of all, there are NOT enough bears in the world. Current studies show that there are so few in the Yellowstone area that they will soon run out of eligible mates due to inbreeding. Bears need a variety of sexual partners to ensure genetically sound offspring. Having fewer bear partners to choose from is directly related to a lack of available habitat. Before you jump in with an argument that Yellowstone is HUGE and can handle thousands of animals, you should know a bit about bear behavior. Male bears travel hundreds of thousands of miles to breed with non-related females, for example from Yellowstone up to Canada. This is no easy task. Just look at a map and you’ll see all the roads, cities, farms, etc. that pose a problem. This area has been a natural bear corridor for centuries. But humans believe this area is ours, and bears shouldn’t intrude on “our” territory. Some people call bears who enter residential areas “problem bears.” I think these same individuals fail to recognize that WE have actually taken over the bear’s territory, and the bears are likely confused that an area they’ve been traveling and feeding in for YEARS is now full of houses and roads. Bears don’t understand property lines.
Bears are not blood-thirsty killers. In fact they have been miscategorized as carnivores when they are actually omnivores. Only 10-15% of their diet consists of meat. Also, in a comparison of bear-to-human interactions vs. actual attacks, the number is miniscule; think less than 2%. Bears typically try to steer clear of humans, and usually walk away or hide when they come into contact with one of us. Habituated bears that tolerate being near humans (like many in Yellowstone), get that way because they have no other choice. Humans are EVERYWHERE, we’re like an infectious disease spreading quickly and easily, developing every spare piece of land possible. Bears can’t even avoid us in the backcountry because so many of us enjoy “getting off the beaten path” and hiking/camping in what few undeveloped areas are left.
Bears that harm humans do so out of protection for themselves, their territory and offspring. They attack because they feel threatened. And the predator bears notorious for “sneaking into campsites and stealing unsuspecting campers” from their tents? That’s because some idiot previously did something stupid to reinforce the bear’s association of humans with food. Like not properly disposing of garbage, or leaving food near campsites where bears can easily get to it. Bears aren’t conniving, planning killers, those are human traits. They don’t have the cognitive ability we’ve tried to project on them. Their only lot in life is to eat, sleep and mate. And similar to us, bears learn quickly and look for an easy way to meet their needs. Think about it, how many of us would rather run through a drive-thru for a quick lunch than go home and spend an hour cooking a meal? It’s the same for bears. Foraging for food is hard work, and oftentimes food is difficult to find. Bears have a keen sense of smell, 150 times more powerful than our own, and if they smell scraps of food left in small rings of charred wood near tents, they are going to follow their nose. Thus, they’ve learned that humans equate to food, and whose fault is that? And yet who do we blame?
As for guns vs. pepper spray, research shows pepper spray is far more effective. Why? Because a bullet has to hit the bear in the exact correct spot to stop them dead in their tracks. A bullet is pretty tiny, and how many people are skilled enough with a gun to actually shoot and hit a moving target smaller than a cracker? If you don’t shoot the bear right between the eyes, or in the heart to kill it instantly, you’re just going to piss it off more. If the bear wasn’t already on the attack, he/she certainly will be after being shot. Pepper spray has a much wider berth, and affects more than one small area. It gets in their eyes, nose and mouth causing vision to be compromised, a brief inability to breathe properly and leaves a nasty taste in their mouth. Fight or flight responses kick into high gear and they’ll likely turn tail and run. Pepper spray also doesn’t kill them, the effects wear off within a half hour which is plenty of time for both of you to get somewhere safe, far away from each other. The bear will recover fully and has just learned a valuable lesson about humans, namely that humans aren’t associated with food. The bear will live to reproduce, ensuring survival of their species and ours.
Our ecosystem is a complex mix of dependency. Mosquitoes annoy the shit out of us, but if they were removed from the food chain, it would only be a matter of time before humans died off as well. The same goes for bears. Without bears, the entire ecosystem will collapse. Bears are amazing, wonderful creatures. Many of us get quite a thrill out of seeing them “in the wild” as well as captive. They’re worth protecting.
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