遇见熊不要跑

1. Bears/animals' basic instinct is chasing moving things. Ever watched the TV show "Animal World" (dong wu shi jie)? If you run in front of a bear, you just triggered their basic instinct. Remember, you will never be able outrun a bear which can get up to 35 miles per hour.

2. The best advice is to avoid bear confrontation. That's the purpose of having a bear bell, which makes noise with your movement. That's like telling bears "I'm coming". Bears are actually scared of us more than us scared of them and they will walk away before you have any confrontation.

3. If you do get face to face with bears, make yourself look as big as possible (don't climb onto a tree, they are better climbers). Look at the bear and talk to bears and say something like "It's ok. I am not as tasty as my friend.." (I am half kidding half serious). Never turn your back onto a bear in confrontation but back off slowly. Don't throw away your backpack on the ground or at the bear. In case the bear charges, your backpack would be your layor of protection over head. Play dead is really your last resort.

4. If you run into a charging bear at night (running toward you and about to attack), you then only have two options - die under bear or fight back with all force. If bears come into your tent at NIGHT, they are looking for food and they are the most dangerous kind.

5. The most dangerous bears are those that ate human food and/or those with cubs. I happened to run into 1 mom with 2 cubs within 7-8 feet on a hiking trail a few years back. The mother bear actually stood up and made this roaring sound. Out of pure luck, I grabbed my friend and made sure they don't run simply because I'm the slowest runner in the world. If my friends ran from the bear, I would be left there as dinner for the bear. The mother bear followed us to make sure we went away and then returned to her own business. I was later totally by some experienced hunters that if we had run, we would for sure be attacked.

Food storage is important in bear country because once bears eat human food, they associate humans with food. The only way out for a bear fed with human food is to be killed. Therefore, storing your food approriately in bear country is for your own safety, for public safety, and for bear safety. "A fed bear is a dead bear."

6. If you see cubs, don't play with them as cute as they may be - their mom won't be far behind and she will protect her young with her life (That's one of the reasons we celebrate Mother's Day). A friend of mine broke his leg running away from 2 cubs - not because he was afraid of the cubs. He knew the mother bear would be close behind (although he never saw the mom). He said it's better to broke a leg than losing it all.

7. Although bear attacks are rare, bears are around in some of the most densely populated areas. I have personally seen bears in metro Vancouver area. Some people living in major metro areas have seen them in their backyards! It doesn't have to be wilderness areas. Yosemite NP has a serious bear problem. Bears wonder around campground at night all the time.

8. Bears are not the only dangerous wildlife. Mooses and elks, as mild as they may appear, can attack and kill too. Canadian Rockies have seen tourists being attacked by elks and died as a result of injuries. Elks are all over Canadian Rockies - keep you distance.

Bear safety can be easily written into a book. Some safety ideas are controversial too. So google bear safety and you should be able to find plenty. National park websites are great resources too. Public libraries also may have tapes on bear safety. If you stop by visitor center and ranger stations of National parks, rangers will gladly explain to you.