Still eat natural foods whenever they’re plentiful. Even bears that regularly eat human food/waste Myth #4: Once a bear has tasted human food, he won’t eat wild food any moreįact: Bears prefer natural, wild food unless it is difficult to find and human food is too easy to get. As I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s much easier to see, hear and smell things from a standing position, than down on all fours. Myth #3: A bear standing on its hind legs is about to chargeįact: Actually, a bear standing on its hind legs is just trying to better identify what has caught its attention. In fact, a bear can outrun a racehorse over short distances but has little endurance. To put that in perspective, that’s 15 m/sec or 50 ft/sec – more than twice as fast as we can run. Myth #2: Bears can’t run down hillįact: Bears can run more than 60 kilometers an hour, and they can do it up hills, down hills or along a slope. Learning about bear behaviour can be beneficial to people who live or recreate in bear country. A greater knowledge of the behaviour, ecology and habitat needs of bears is crucial if we are to learn to co-exist peacefully with these magnificent creatures.įact: Bears use body language and vocalizations to show their intentions. It is important to dispel both myths – the one based on fear, and the other based on a misplaced belief that bears are tame cuddly animals.īears are intelligent and resourceful wild mammals that deserve our respect. While there is no doubt that bears have the power to trigger children’s imaginations, it is important that the stories we share with our children be based on facts rather than fantasy. This, of course, is inaccurate at best and unhelpful at worst.Īnother commonly held myth is that bears are cuddly creatures that resemble the teddy bears we owned as kids. The overwhelming sense conveyed in these stories is that bears are dangerous, mean creatures that are an extreme threat to people in any circumstance. Stories of ferocious attacks by blood-thirsty bears on defenceless hikers make great lead stories in the media. Unfortunately, there are still many myths surrounding the lives and behaviour of bears that negatively impact our relationships with them. As one of the most adaptable and versatile mammals on earth, their behaviour stirs fear, awe, wonder, and curiosity in us. Lynn Rogersīears have fascinated humans for millennia. ” The best thing people can do for bears is replace misconceptions with facts.” – Dr.
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