BEAR Logic Month: What to do if you encounter a bear
As July closes so does Nevada Department of Wildlife's month-long BEAR Logic campaign, designed to teach residents and visitors how to live and recreate in bear county. This week NDOW advice provides tips if people should have a bear encounter.
Keep in mind that bears exhibit stress behaviors that indicate their anxiety and preference to avoid conflict with you. These are not necessarily signs of an aggressive bear.
— Moaning and woofing while avoiding direct eye contact with you.
— Clacking of their teeth and smacking of their jaws.
— Stomping on their front feet and false charges which stop short of making contact with you.
In most cases these behaviors are the bear’s way of telling you that you are too close. Back up and leave the area. Although black bears very rarely attack people, those attacks have increased in number over the last 20-30 years. Knowing how to behave in an encounter will help keep you and your loved ones safe.
NDOW has put together an easy to use infographic that summarizes the tips below and is available to download, print and refer to it before you and your family venture out in bear country.
Avoiding Bear Encounters:
Never approach or feed a bear. Give them respect by keeping your distance and observing them from a safe area.
Give a bear plenty of room to pass by and it usually will.
Keep a close watch on children while they are outdoors and teach them what to do if they see a bear. Tell them to stay together, back away from the bear and find an adult.
While camping, keep a clean camp and never store food in your tent, and;
Do not cook in the same cloths you sleep in and always cook away from your sleeping area.
Handling Bear Encounters:
— If a bear approaches you, speak in a loud, firm voice "get away bear!"
— Raise your arms to make yourself appear bigger and back away to a safe area. You cannot outrun a black bear as they are capable of bursts of speed up to 35 miles per hour.
— In the rare event of a bear attack people have succeeded in driving away the bear by hitting it with stout sticks, rocks and punching it in the nose.
— Carry bear spray and know how to use it. NDOW does not endorse any product but our bear biologist and game wardens use Counter Assault ™ for close bear encounters.
Remember, persistent or extremely bold bears that pose a public safety risk, such as those that enter homes, may have to be killed. You can play a part in keeping Nevada’s bears out of trouble by being responsible with your food and trash and insist your friends or neighbors to do the same.
BEAR Logic Month Art Contest
Don’t forget to enter the BEAR Logic Month Art Contest. This contest is open to all elementary and middle school students in Nevada.
Enter your drawing of Nevada's bears and you could win!
The winner's art will be featured on the Bear Logic promotional materials for the following year including t-shirts and coffee mugs.
All entries must be received at your nearest regional Nevada Department of Wildlife office by Friday, August 29, 2014. Go here for more information.
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