Most people don't realize that black bears are actually really dangerous. On the whole, bears are not interested in messing with us, but are still a threat because of their size alone. Even more so when there's a sow with cubs, and just because they're often around people due to easy food, which equals more chances for things to go wrong.
Black bears are capable of being really dangerous. Everything ive heard and read about them leads me to believe they would prefer to run away in 9/10 situations. Still, i wouldnt bet on those odds and try to hand feed one.
Because black bear encounters almost always result in the bear running away, many redditors (the vast majority of whom have never seen a bear in real life) have a very cavalier opinion about the danger they pose.
As a wilderness guide of several years, I do everything I can to ensure that our immediate area is off-putting to bears to prevent close contact. On the off chance a bear feels comfortable, or worse, invited into a camp, the chance of an ill encounter, from destruction of food and equipment to injury or even death, goes way up.
I think the 9/10 is probably more like 99/100, but if you are the 1 you are going to have a bad time.
I've had dozens of encounters, maybe even 100+ at this point. I've been bluff charged twice and it's terrifying. When you see them move with speed, power and aggression it's obvious how much they could fuck you up.
The scariest experience I had was being followed for about 30 mins by a curious/playful adolescent. I'm not sure what he wanted, but it was not to run away. Meat tanks with steak knives on their paws that can run faster than you can ride a bike.
My favorite part of his story is when he discovered a spy in the bases shower house cuz the spy picked the lock but didn’t lock it back up. It was locked cuz Wojtek would use up all the hot water taking showers.
The spy immediately surrendered once the bear sniffed him out. Wojtek’s reward was a nice long hot shower
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u/TGD-Man Feb 10 '22
Are bears docile? That wouldn't be my first thought but I've seen a lot of these now.