While visiting relatives in western North Carolina, WFDD’s David Ford found himself standing across from a large black bear and her two cubs in the front yard.
He suddenly became very Carolina Curious about what to do in that precarious situation. This week, he found out.
There are lots of misconceptions about black bears: they’re inherently dangerous, out to get people and looking to be aggressive. In reality, they’re a little skiddish, uninterested in humans, but very interested in the tasty foods that we leave outside. The opposite perspective — that bears are harmless — is equally wrong.
North Carolina Extension Wildlife Biologist Falyn Owens says another misconception is that these bears are lumbering and slow.
"Black bears can be very fast," says Owens. "When they want to, they can really get at speed, and they’re much faster than human beings."
I shared my recent brush with bears story, and asked for her opinion on my approach.
"You saw it was a mama bear with her cubs, and you got out of the scene, so you went inside, so that you were safe, and you didn't interact with them, and let them hang out for a little bit, and then they left," she says. "That is a perfect scenario."
She says there’s a large black bear population in the western part of the state, and the best way to coexist with them is to keep our distance and just acknowledge that they’re going to be around. In fact, she says, she and her colleagues are seeing the bear population slowly establish itself across the entire state.
If you’re out in nature or a wooded neighborhood where black bears are known to live, Owens recommends making some noise. Even a conversation with your hiking partner will tend to keep human wary bears at bay. And if you should suddenly encounter one...
"The best thing you can do is just slowly put some distance between you and that bear," she says. "Do not approach, don't get into its space, just walk away, and the bear is probably going to watch you as you walk away to make sure that it's not in danger, and as you put distance between yourself and that bear, it's probably going to lose interest and go about its business."
In the rare close encounter where a surprised bear feels like it has to be defensive, Owens says you want to assert yourself. Fight back. And more often than not, she says, once the bear realizes it can escape, it will. You can find more information at bearwise.org, a user-friendly online resource assembled by a team of bear biologists from across the Southeastern United States.
And some parting bear Dos and Don’ts: Do keep your bear-curious dog on a leash. And, this July 4th weekend, don't forget to clean your barbecue grill and empty that grease pan when you’re done.