Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Do you know what to do if you come face-to-face with a bear?
AccuWeather
Follow
7/21/2023
Most bear encounters end with the bear going off on its own way, but in the rare case that a bear charges you, here's everything you need to know.
Category
đź—ž
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Whether you are outside enjoying a weekend at a national park or relaxing at home, you need to
00:05
stay bear aware. These days they can be found anywhere from lounging on patios to swimming at
00:11
the beach to the natural habitat. Now the question is, what would you do if you saw a bear? Well,
00:17
Justin Swabedysen is joining us. He's a bear biologist from Grand Teton National Park. He's
00:24
here today to share with us the bear necessities. Thank you for joining us, Justin.
00:30
Well, thank you for having me. Well, first things first, are all bear encounters a threat to your
00:37
safety? No, they're not. In fact, most bear encounters are very benign. Oftentimes the
00:44
bear is going to see you, you're going to see the bear, and the bear is going to run away.
00:48
Bears often practice avoidance with humans, and certainly most bear encounters just end with
00:54
either going their separate ways. That's good to hear. And what attracts a bear to your home,
01:01
car, or campsite, and what can you do to prevent or minimize the visits?
01:06
The vast majority of bears are just looking for natural foods out there in their wild habitat.
01:14
The challenge becomes when humans and visitors to the national parks don't secure their attractants.
01:20
So if you leave out human foods, leave out cooking gear, other attractants that might
01:25
bring a bear into a developed area, that's where the problem really lies. Storing your food and
01:31
other cooking items appropriately and making sure that human foods are not accessible to bears,
01:36
that's the most important thing that we can do to protect bears. Well, if you do see a bear,
01:43
how should you respond? Should you assume they'll attack? You should never assume right off the bat
01:50
that the bear is going to attack. The best thing that you can do is to stop, stand your ground,
01:56
and start slowly backing away. If the bear starts moving towards you, talk to it. Let the bear know
02:03
that you're human and continue to slowly back away. Remain calm, never run from the bear.
02:10
If the bear were to charge you at close range, then stop, stand your ground, deploy bear spray
02:16
if you have it. But again, most bear encounters are going to be relatively benign. I'll say a
02:21
bear does charge you, you don't have bear spray, then what? So in that case, stand in your ground,
02:28
slowly talking to the bear, remaining calm, never running, that's the best course of action.
02:34
If in a very rare situation a bear were to take you to the ground, then play dead. You'll want
02:40
to lie on your stomach, interlace your fingers behind your neck, keep your pack on if you have
02:44
a pack on your back, and remain calm, lying on your stomach until the bear moves away.
02:50
Okay, good words of advice here. I don't know if I saw a bear running at me if I would stay calm,
02:54
but I'll take your words. Well, why are we seeing bears in more populated areas these days? You know,
03:00
we see videos of these bears even at the beach taking swims. Could you tell us more about that,
03:06
why we're seeing bears in more places now? What we're starting to see is as many of these natural
03:12
habitats are fully occupied by bears, bears are naturally dispersing into areas that happen to
03:18
have more human development. All right, great words of advice there. Justin Swabedesan,
03:24
bear biologist from Grand Teton National Park. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.
Recommended
0:30
|
Up next
Bear in Colorado With Cheese Balls Jar Stuck on Head
StoryfulViral
7/22/2016
4:47
What to do if you encounter a bear
Brut America
3/25/2025
0:59
Must See! Bear Family Takes a Dip in a Pool During Annual Visit to Connecticut Neighborhood
Buzz60
7/4/2023
6:31
Staying safe during a bear encounter
AccuWeather
5/24/2025
0:57
How to scare off wild bears
Newsflare
3/5/2016
1:46
Black Bear Hunter Or Bear Prey
Wildtv
2/14/2016
1:15
Man fights off bear with shovel in dramatic encounter
SWNS
8/13/2024
1:07
Bear hug: Man befriends giant brown bear in rescue centre
ODN
1/13/2016
3:14
Guardians of Spectacled Bear | Saving South America’s Only Bear Species | Oneindia News
Oneindia
12/7/2021
3:02
Black Bears: The Most Common Bear in North America
Live Science
2/24/2024
3:02
Man Escapes Encounter With Black Bear by Using Bear Spray
Buzz Videos
6/4/2022
0:57
Wild Bear Steals Soft Drink from Front Yard and Enjoys It
Jukin Media
4/11/2024
0:17
Olivia Rodrigo dances to Pulp on boyfriend’s shoulders in Glastonbury crowd ahead of headline slot
The Independent
today
3:46
UK passport warning issued to British travellers
The Independent
today
1:01
Russia launches biggest air attack on Ukraine since start of war
The Independent
today
1:35
Budapest Pride: Unprecedented crowd defies Hungarian government at 'illegal' march
euronews (in English)
yesterday
2:02
Singing from the meadow, bass from the city: How Swada is reinventing traditional Slavic music
euronews (in English)
yesterday
4:47
Latest news bulletin | June 29th – Morning
euronews (in English)
yesterday
6:39
Analyzing Phoenix Suns Roster Changes Post-Trade Deal
SportsGrid
yesterday
4:55
Cleveland's Trade for Lonzo Ball: A Potential Game-Changer
SportsGrid
yesterday
3:02
Predicting Sonia Citron’s Performance: Basketball Insights
SportsGrid
yesterday
2:10
Late-night storms could pose serious risks to the Upper Midwest
AccuWeather
2 days ago
0:36
Flash flooding wreaks havoc up and down the East Coast
AccuWeather
2 days ago
1:06
Could tropical development be in the forecast for the Atlantic?
AccuWeather
2 days ago
1:06
Top astronomy events for July 2025
AccuWeather
2 days ago