What to do if encountering a bear

Idea

Erik Baláž from Liptovská Kokava in Slovakia encountered bears in wilderness more than 300 times. Bears never attacked him, even though they were sometimes as close as two meters. He also met several times a she-bear with cubs. His tactic to calm down the she-bear during the encounter is very simple: turn aside and pretend not to see her and the cubs.

She-bears come out of burrows with young cubs in May. The cubs are still weak and can barely walk. She-bears try to stay in the territory where there is a minimal chance to meet a human. If a she-bear meets a human after all, she stands up and waits what will happen. Turning aside and pretend not to see them is the best option. She-bear then relaxes. She quickly snorts twice to call the cubs to her. Then they leave. The she-bear looks back once or twice to make sure they are not chased.

During the encounter, you should avoid the following:

• Walking towards the she-bear and/or the cubs. She-bear will probably understand this as attack and will attach back.
• Start screaming.
• Running away. Bears are fast runners. They can run up to 50 kilometers per hour.
• Making an eye contact. The bear might understand this as challenge. Keep an eye on the bear though.
• Climbing a tree. Bears are fast tree climbers.

Typical advice to handle a bear attack is to hit the ground immediately and curl into the fetal position covering the neck. Then play dead while the bear is around and some time after the bear leaves (they are known to wait around and see if their victim is really dead). Fighting back is actually an option too. Grab anything at hand and aim on eyes and snout. If you are on the ground, you can grab bear's ears and kick him/her, as Václav Špirka from Slovakia did, and managed to finish the attack of a she-bear. He made a mistake of walking towards her and her two cabs while she already stood on her back legs.

Limitations and Side Effects

Just like humans, bears have different characters and experiences. Each bear may react differently to an encounter with a human and to the human behavior described above.

References

• Medvede bez príčiny na človeka neútočia (Bears do not attack humans without a reason)
• Súboj s medvedicou pripomína lesníkovi jazva po zuboch (A scar from teeth reminds the forester a combat with a she-bear)

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