Sometimes humor is the best approach, wouldn't you agree? That's the approach the folks at Howcast Studios took with their playful video, "How to Avoid a Bear Attack."
Over the years we've had more than a few stories about protecting yourself against bear attacks in the national parks. And we've even offered an educational video from the folks at Glacier National Park on how to hike in bear country.
Just the other day I ran across the following video that takes a cartoonish approach to outlining the keys to staying safe in bear country. While I'm not sure about step 6, which mentions whacking the bruin on the nose to chase him off, the other steps are all on message, as they say.
Comments
Well, that appeared to be a black bear. I'm confident that 99.9% of the time a punch to the nose of a grizzly will get your "head ripped off." Funny video.
With just a lttle work this could not only be a very funny video, but very accurate and a useful teaching tool. As head of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Information & Education Committee I would love to work with whoever made this to create another version that is totally accurate.
@ Gregg: The animation was made by Randy Boyum of Denver, CO. You can reach him at: RandomAnimation(at)aol(dot)com
When I was in Alaska last year, we saw several grizzlies (called "brown bears" up there). Our guide said that he often had to "holler at them" and "whack them over the head" to get them to leave the fishermen alone. He said, "you just need to treat them like a big dog." I thought that sounded like a foolish way to handle savage, man-eating carnivores, but he said it worked. Maybe the punch to the nose isn't all that bad an idea.
Maybe so, Fred, but I'm not sure I'd want to get close enough to a bear -- black, brown, grizzly, or polar -- to smack it on the nose!
Anyone who advocates "wacking" a bear is wacko. I do not think of brown bears as "savage, man-eating carnivores" but I have a great deal of respect for their potential to do some serious harm when they feel threatened. Your guide is an example of the arrogance and ignorance that can lead to tragic results to both bears and humans.
If he keeps treating them "like a big dog", sooner or later one of them is going to treat him like a disposable chew toy.
Hello,
The information in this video is unfortunately not inline with what is recommended by the international bear behaviourist community. Please refer to the Staying Safe in Bear Country video and consider either redoing this video or a disclaimer that the information is not correct, but rather a joke video. Many of us in the environmental education industry are working hard to create consistent messaging. Other great resources for this would be Parks Canada and wildsmart.ca
Thank you for considering my request.
Kim Titchener
Program Director
Bow Valley WildSmart Community Program