About Bears around the Planet

They use their excellent memories to return to locations where food was plentiful in past years or seasons. Most bears are able to climb trees to chase prey or gain access to additional vegetation. The only exceptions are polar bears and large adult brown bears, whose heavy weight makes it difficult to climb trees. Some of the larger species, such as the polar bear and the grizzly bear, are dangerous to humans, especially in areas where they have become used to people. For the most part, bears are shy and are easily frightened of humans. They will, however, defend their cubs ferociously if a situation calls for it.

Reproductive Behavior:  The bear's courtship period is very brief. Bears reproduce seasonally, usually after a period of inactivity similar to hibernation. Cubs are born toothless, blind, and bald. The cubs of brown bears, usually born in litters of 1–3, will typically stay with the mother for two full seasons. They feed on their mother's milk through the duration of their relationship with their mother, although as the cubs continue to grow, nursing becomes less frequent and learn to begin hunting with the mother. They will remain with the mother for approximately three years, until she enters the next cycle of estrus and drives the cubs off. Bears will reach sexual maturity in five to seven years. Bears are generally solitary creatures and will not stay close together for long periods of time. Exceptions have been regularly observed; siblings recently on their own, and subadult bears of similar age and status will spend a significant amount of time in informal social groups.

Bears & Human Interaction:  Despite their large size, bears are capable of moving through wooded or rugged terrain while making very little noise. They may live in surprisingly close proximity with humans. Bears will generally avoid contact with humans, and are usually aware of a human's presence long before the human is aware of the bear. As a result, encounters are typically avoidable and rare. However, bears are opportunistic feeders, and will generally take food where it is available. When humans provide feeding opportunities, such as left out garbage, food stored outside, or deliberate feeding, the chance of confrontation escalates. As a bear begins to associate human presence with food, it may lose its shyness and pose an increasing risk to humans. Conflicts may also arise in situations where the bear regards a human as an immediate threat to itself, its cubs, or food cache (which is one reason that found animal carcasses should be avoided). In a chance encounter with a bear, the best course of action is usually to back away slowly in the direction that you came, speaking in a loud, calm tone to make sure the bear is aware of your presence and will not be caught off guard. Raise your hands above your shoulders to make yourself appear larger. The bear will rarely become aggressive and head towards you. In order to protect yourself, some suggest passively lying on the ground and waiting for the bear to lose interest. This does not often work. Another approach is to constantly maintain an obstacle between you and the bear, such as a thick tree or boulder. A person is much more agile and quick than a bear allowing him or her to respond to a bear's clockwise or counter-clockwise movement around the obstacle and move accordingly. The bear's frustration will eventually cause disinterest. One can then move away from the bear to a new obstacle and continue this until he or she has created a safe distance from the bear. When encountering a bear, one should never look directly into the bear's eyes. This action can be misconstrued by many wild animals as an aggressive act. Bears can climb up and shake trees, therefore, climbing a tree to escape a bear is not advisable.