

Help protect others by reporting all bear incidents to a park ranger immediately. Every situation is different, but below are guidelines on how brown bear attacks can differ from black bear attacks. However, being mentally prepared can help you have the most effective reaction. The chances of an attack escalate greatly if she perceives you as a danger to her cubs.īear attacks are rare most bears are only interested in protecting food, cubs, or their space.

A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack. Continue to talk to the bear in low tones this will help you stay calmer, and it won't be threatening to the bear. Bears may also react defensively by woofing, yawning, salivating, growling, snapping their jaws, and laying their ears back.

Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you they usually just want to be left alone.A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening. It may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. Remain still stand your ground but slowly wave your arms. Identify yourself by talking calmly so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal.

However, please check recommendations for each park you visit: recommendations do vary from park to park based local bear behavior. Once a bear has noticed you and is paying attention to you, additional strategies can help prevent the situation from escalating. Pay attention to your surroundings and make a special effort to be noticeable if you are in an area with known bear activity or a good food source, such as berry bushes. Most bears will avoid humans if they hear them coming. Keeping your distance and not surprising bears are some of the most important things you can do. Avoiding an Encounterįollowing viewing etiquette is the first step to avoiding an encounter with a bear that could escalate into an attack. There’s no question that this was Chris’s intention-that he somehow wanted to cut his parents from his life and punish them at the same time.National parks in Alaska created a safety sticker to share steps for avoiding an unwelcome encounter with a bear. Rather than being altruistic, Chris’s risky behavior is exceedingly selfish, cutting himself off entirely from his family, who for two years didn’t even know if he was alive. He was the sum of his experiences, and there’s no escaping that.This passage strikes at the heart of Chris McCandless’s story, as his father wonders how a seemingly compassionate young man could be so cruel to his family and friends. McCandless does this when he decides to climb the Devil’s Thumb, thinking it would somehow fix what was wrong with his life. ‘How is it,’ he wonders aloud as he gazes blankly across Chesapeake Bay, ‘that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?’”Īs Krakauer says, young people often mistake passion for insight, acting out of obscure logic. “Seven weeks after the body of his son turned up in Alaska wrapped in a blue sleeping bag that Billie had sewn for Chris from a kit, Walt studies a sailboat scudding beneath the window of his waterfront townhouse.
