There was a tragic incident lately involving human-predator relations.
No one had to die in this situation. NO ONE. Not the student, not the bear.
Here's the problem:
By the early 20th century, many large mammalian predators on the east coast of the United States, were almost completely (and in some cases, totally) exterminated by human expansion (habitat loss) and hunting. Only now are populations finally starting to recover. Because of this, the number of human-animal interactions will continue to increase.
Unfortunately, the history of absence means that the potential for dealing with large mammalian predators is a new concept for some people, and apparently people don't know how to react. With that in mind, I offer a list of guidelines for dealing with large mammals that might eat you.
There is, of course, always the possibility that the animal is stalking you and your behaviors will not significantly affect its actions. On the other hand, it may not be, and you should do your damnedest to keep it that way.
Disclaimer: I am not a wildlife behavior specialist. My qualifications are simply that I was raised by ecologists in an environment where encountering a mountain lion or bear is always a possibility. Also, these guidelines don't always apply to every situation.
HOW TO DEAL WITH A LARGE MAMMALIAN PREDATOR:
1. DO NOT RUN.
2. Do NOT run.
3. Do not run. Running will trigger the animal's hunting instinct. The animal might just be curious about you and not interested in attacking. However, if you act like prey and run the opposite direction, it will chase you like prey. Back away slowly: yes. Run: NO.
4. Don't split up. If you split up this will not "confuse" the animal. The animal will just choose one prey item (person) to follow. Multiple little wimpy humans against a big predator will have a better chance than just one wimpy human against a big predator.
5. There are many other things you should do like "make yourself seem as large as possible"(raise your arms) "make loud sounds", "minimize eye-contact", and "if attacked, fight back".
6. If there are cubs involved, shit is serious. Do your absolute best to NOT get between the mother and the cubs.
7. If you're being stalked or attacked by a brown bear (Grizzly) or a polar bear, you're pretty much fucked, but you still shouldn't run because that'll only make it an absolute sure thing.
I encountered another article about the incident:
I disagree, Daily News. I fully believe that the students did not antagonize or harass the bear in any way, but they did provoke it. They acted in a manner pretty much guaranteed to provoke chase and attack.
Be Seeing You.
