by Rex Trulove

Created on: December 22, 2009

Considering how long and in how many places man has been living in harmony with bears, there is little doubt that man can do so. However, it does require knowledge, respect, and common sense if we would wish to avoid negative encounters.

Bears are the largest natural predator in North America. They are omnivorous carnivores, like man is, and have a well-known fondness for sweets. These animals are also fiercely protective of their young, and a mother bear is not a creature to mess with if she is protecting her cubs. How does this help answer the question of whether or not man can live in harmony with the bears?

This is where common sense enters into the picture. Leaving food where bears can get to it, wearing sweet smelling perfumes and colognes, or walking through the woods without paying any attention to the surroundings and animals that happen to be around is just begging for trouble. In fact, it would be safe to say that most negative human-bear encounters occur primarily because of the above.

The fact is that black bears tend to avoid people when possible, unless they are protecting their young or smell something they assume is food. It is exceptionally rare for a black bear to attack a person without a reason. The same can't necessarily be said of grizzly bears, but grizzlies aren't nearly as common as black bears, and a common sense approach is still helpful.

Actual examples may be better to show that bears and people can live in harmony.

A family of six lived for more than a dozen years in a mountainous national park, with a large black bear population. In the summer months, it was uncommon for them to not see at least one bear each week. As powerful as the bears were, they left the family and the other families living there, alone. There were exceptions, but they were primarily along the lines of the bears being nuisances.

For example, the bears would get into the garbage cans and strew garbage everywhere. This is easy to understand, since they could smell food and were trying to get to it.

One bear was confronted at close quarters by a neighbor of the family who was taking his trash out. It is hard to say who was the most frightened, the man, or the bear. The man dropped the bag of garbage and ducked quickly into the house. The bear took the fastest exit it could find; through a 3/4 inch plywood storm cover on the porch, shredding the plywood in the process. Note: A 4 foot by 8 foot 3/4 inch piece of plywood is no match for a 300 pound bear, intent on getting away as fast as possible.

The point is that there were numerous encounters with bears with many families, and the families had young children. Yet, not once has there been a recorded and verified bear encounter at that national park that resulted in severe injury. Bears are quite capable of causing such injuries.

In a few instances, they easily ripped the doors off of trucks or cars, but again, that was because people violated the rule of using common sense. For instance, leaving a sandwich in the seat of a pickup, door shut but windows rolled down a little, is an open invitation to a bear. They are so powerful that it takes little effort to rip the door off its hinges.

If it wasn't possible for man and bear to live in harmony, it could be suggested that in the hundred-year history of this park, as well as the history of many more parks where bears are common, that there would have been far more encounters that would have led to severe injury or death. People, who use common sense, have a bit of knowledge, and who respect the animals, usually have few problems. Those who don't, have nobody to blame but themselves.

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