It is impossible to visit Canada without the thought of the bears crossing your mind. Canada is a bear country, and through deaths by bear attacks are not common, they do happen and that makes it important for every visitor to be aware of these beastly creatures and know exactly what to do so that they stay safe.
There are three main bear species in Canada – the huge grizzly bears, American black bear, and the polar bear. Of all the three species, the polar bear is the one that won’t usually come into common contact the people, but the grizzly and the black bear are fond of coming to places where people visit, and some encounters with them have always resulted in serious fatalities.
In most cases, bears will try to avoid contact with people, and they will never initiate a confrontation like the polar bears that will keenly stalk you and attack when they think they have a have a good chance of taking you down without you noticing. However, every wild animal will always fight back when they feel cornered, threatened, attacked or wounded and such an
encounter with bears can be very vicious, given their weight and strength, as well as the fact that they can clock up to 40km/h within a very short time. As such, you can outrun them, and you can’t also outswim them, and so the best way to guarantee your safety is to completely avoid contact with them. So then, what exactly should you do to guarantee your safety in a bear country like Canada?
Be informed
The first step towards being safe in a bear country like Canada is to get the right information about the bear situation before you embark on your trips. If you are going for a camp, check out information about the camp to see if they have anything about bears. If it a place where bear encounter may be suspected, then you should equip yourself effectively and know what to carry and also how to behave when you are in such grounds.
Avoid confrontation with the bears
This is perhaps the most important tips about staying safe from the bears. Prevention is always better than cure, and if you are in a bear country, it is imperative not to attract their attention in any way. For example, if you are on a campsite, it is important to leave the campsite very clean and be very careful with how you dispose of your wastes since the smells generated in the campsites are usually the number one attraction for the bears. Most people prefer to hang their foods and garbage on trees at heights the bear can’t reach, though it is also a good idea to use bear-proof containers to store your supplies while in the camp, just in case the bears are lucky enough to access the containers.
Still, as part of avoiding contact or confrontation with the bears, you can think about using honey-papaya-herbal-citrus shampoos or body lotions as a way of repelling the bears away. Bears have an excellent sense of smell, but they are not stupid enough to get close to a beehive when they get the smell of honey. Having such lotions or shampoos on when you head to the woods would thus be a great way to ensure you don’t attract the bears to your presence.
You should also learn to be aware of your surrounding so that you can easily tell if there is a bear within the vicinity. The idea is to avoid confrontation and if you can know about their presence
before you spot them or they spot you, you will have an upper hand end keeping yourself safe. While you wander in the woods, watch out for fresh diggings on the ground or claw marks on the tree barks. These are classic indications that there is a bear in the vicinity. Also, if you notice a carcass or the presence of some fresh odors, flee from the area immediately because it is possible that a bear might be feeding in the same area.
If you are traveling is a region with poor visibility such as in a dense bush, continuously make noise by talking loudly, singing, whistling, or stumping on the ground. This is to let be known that you are present in the area. Naturally, bears will avoid confrontation and when they are alerted to your presence in this manner, they will most probably flee and leave you alone.
While you walk along, watch out for fur on the trees as bears are fond of rubbing their skins against the back of the trees. This will be an indication that there is a bear and in the area so that you can be more vigilant as you proceed forward.
What to do when you come into contact with a bear
However careful and watchful you may be, it is still possible that you may encounter a bear, and when that happens, whether or not you stay safe depends on how you will react. When you see a bear and it doesn’t see you, you should stay very calm and not draw any attention to yourself. In most cases, they will go about their businesses if they don’t notice. However, if they see you and you also see them, you must remain very calm and not panic in any way. Slowly back up and never turn your back to the bear or attempt to run. This may trigger an attack and you can’t outrun the bear.
Maintain an eye on the bare but don’t make direct eye contact as they will see this as a challenge and this may tempt them to attack you. Also be sure that they have a way they can use to escape. Don’t block any route they may use to get away from the area.
If they approach or attempt to charge at you, don’t run and don’t flinch. Hoping that you carried a bear spray for such an expedition, this is the time to put the bear spray into use. Be sure that you know how to use the spray before you pack for the trip. In most cases, the spray will make them turn away and run, thus allowing you time to get to safety.
It would be very sad to come to Canada and successfully fill in the Canada ETA form and be granted access to the country to come and camp, and because you are negligent, you ignore all the bear warning signs and end up being devoured by the beasts. Take bears seriously and use these tips to stay safe.
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