Black bears have 4-inch claws, a sprinting speed of 35 MPH, and a bite force strong enough to shatter a bowling bowl. A built-in killing machine, right? You’d think that, but you’re actually 167 times more likely to be killed by a man aged 18-27 than a black bear. Believe it or not, it’s true. Despite the rumors, saying black bears are “dangerous” is completely false. In fact, out of the thousands of interactions with black bears per year, there’s less than one casualty. Lynn Rogers, who sleeps, eats, and lives alongside black bears for up to 24 hours at a time, has come to realize they’re not so bad, and has figured out their “language.” Most actions seen as aggressive, like a bluster, are really just nervous displays.
Though Rogers has had his fair share of black bear attacks, normally they’re just welts, and they’ve all been initiated by him rather than the bear. It’s believed their cowardly persona comes from evolving next to powerful creatures, such as the saber-toothed tiger and the short-faced bear. Fortunately, black bears are able to evade trouble by climbing up trees, and they do it quite well, having the ability to climb 100 feet in 30 seconds. Usually, when a black bear feels like it’s in immediate danger it’ll start climbing up the nearest tree. Mother bears frequently bring their cubs to trees so they can stay up there while the mother goes foraging for fish and berries.
So, if these don’t soothe your nerves for your next camping trip, there are plenty of ways to reassure a safe interaction on the rare occasion a black bear is in close proximity. Often if a bear is charging at you, it’ll turn away and begin minding its business in another area. This doesn’t mean every bear who’s looking at you funny will start charging. If you see a bear creepily staring at you behind a tree, it probably means they’re just curious, or if you’re making s’mores, maybe just hungry. However, for extra reassurance, you can always bring pepper spray. It won’t anger the bear, but it’ll frighten it enough for it to leave you alone. A four-year-old girl scared one away with pepper spray. The next day when the bear saw her, he climbed up a tree.
The more people learn about black bears, the more they learn to love them. Now, this doesn’t mean to start running up to them to put a collar around them with the name tag “Buddy,” but it’s a nice thing to know next time you see a black bear in nature.
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