The worst area, British Columbia, has roughly five times as many serious attacks and fatalities from black bears as from grizzlies. There is typically one fatality and half a dozen attacks each year, the majority of them from black bears. These bears are the most dangerous in North America (even compared to polar bears) and compare to the ferocious Asiatic Black Bear. As an example, from 1978 to 1994, there were 27 attacks by grizzlies and 2 fatalities. The black bears caused 78 attacks with 9 fatalities in the same time period. Obviously, people in these areas in B.C. need to take black bears very seriously indeed. Not all areas are equally dangerous, though. Black bear attacks are rare in the coastal areas (though not grizzly attacks). On the offshore islands, the bears are as mellow as they are in the Eastern U.S. Also, near cities and in settled areas, the bears are rarely dangerous. Predatory incidents overwhelmingly involve remote wilderness bears that have had little or no contact with humans.
If you are in a remote area of inland central to northern British Columbia, you must take the risk of black bears seriously. In a bad year (meaning when food is scarce), there may be as many as 3 predatory black bear incidents in a single week. The forestry and geological exploration workers face significant risks if they spend large amounts of time in deep wilderness here. Many have reported unpleasant incidents, and a few have been seriously injured or killed. Black bears have taken human prey from exploration stations in remote forests in a manner strikingly like that in which polar bears have done at Arctic exploration stations.
It is imperative that people contemplating going into such areas go well-prepared, especially if there have been recent incidents. At the least, they must not go alone; in fact, in an area of known risk, nobody should ever be allowed to be out of sight at any time. Eyes may be coldly watching from the forest depths to take advantage of just such an event. Everybody must carry a large can of bear spray and a big impressive Crocodile-Dundee type hunting knife, and these must be carried on the belt ready for quick use. Anybody who is not encumbered with equipment should carry a strong, heavy walking stick at all times. Also, at least one person in each party must be armed with a .30 or heavier caliber hunting rifle with magnum loads and know how to use it in an emergency. In the event of threat or attack, the cardinal rule is never, ever act passive with a predacious black bear; instead, let the bear know you will fight back with everything you've got and be prepared to do so. Even the hungriest bear will be reluctant to take on alert, well-armed prey. Adequate planning will probably prevent such incidents from happening in the first place.
