How Dangerous Are Black Bears? - Page 7© Gerald Eugene Smith
Page 7
Mar 23, 1999
Nobody really knows why the Canadian black bears are so much more dangerous. The graphic accounts I have given above should forcefully impress the readers here with just how dangerous they can be. The intense man-eating predatory drive some of these animals have displayed is as remarkable as it is horrifying. You really don't see this with the other bears. It is more like what you see with tigers and sharks. One possible explanation is that you don't really find true uninhabited wilderness in the U.S.; all black bears have at least some familiarity with human beings. In Canada, you can have deep wilderness bears which have no idea what a man is. A few could be expected to come to the perfectly logical conclusion that this stupid, clumsy, slow-moving, creature with weak senses and body would make an ideal prey: no horns, no hooves, no antlers, no fur, just temptingly plump and meaty. Another possibility is that woods in the U.S. have many more desirable plant foods, especially those rich in fat and protein like nuts and acorns. The subarctic conifer forests of B.C. are much less productive. Bears in the deciduous forests of the U.S. are largely vegetarian. A point of support for this is that black bears along the coast and islands of B.C., which have access to the rich salmon runs, are far less likely to be predatory. But there must also be some hidden genetic factor too. Conditions in Alaska are similar to B.C., but Alaskan black bears are about 50 times less dangerous than B.C. bears. I think that black bear restocking programs should make a point of using Eastern U.S. stock and avoid at all costs using bears from British Columbia. It has been suggested that the gentle and restrained nature of Eastern U.S. black bears reflects the centuries of intensive hunting they have endured under both the Indians and Europeans. Support for this idea comes from the observation that the European Brown Bear is practically the same animal as the American grizzly, but is as shy and non-aggressive as the Eastern U.S. black bear. The few surviving brown bears in Europe have survived thousands of years of intense hunting pressure because of their meek and secretive natures. I hope I haven't scared anyone away from a trip to Canada! Keep in mind that black bears have been responsible for only about 3 dozen deaths this whole century in all of North America (more than polar bears, but only about half as many as grizzlies). It is only too easy to obssess when travelling in the woods about the remote danger of being eaten by a bear while ignoring the vastly more real dangers of dying of hypothermia, falls and drowning. Even lightning and snakes account for a lot more victims than bears. Still, in the wrong time and place (say - on an exposed mountain top in a violent storm), being struck by lightning can be a very real and serious risk. There are certain special conditions where a black bear attack could be a real risk. This article should provide you with enough information to know when to take precautions (rarely) and when not to worry about it (the great majority of the time).
Go To Page:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The copyright of the article How Dangerous Are Black Bears? - Page 7 in Bears is owned by . Permission to republish How Dangerous Are Black Bears? - Page 7 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
