VII.

Bears and Humans

Humans have hunted bears since prehistoric times, using bear flesh for food and bear fur to make clothing. Early humans may have learned which plants were edible by watching cave bears forage for food. More recently, humans have contributed to the decline of bear populations worldwide, mainly by encroaching on bear habitats through farming, settlement, logging, and mining. Despite laws protecting bears, people continue to hunt bears for sport, for food, to protect crops and livestock, and for certain bear parts used in a variety of traditional medicines. Six of the existing eight species of bears are listed as endangered or vulnerable according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List issued in 2007. Only the brown bear and the American black bear are not considered threatened or endangered within their natural ranges.

As humans encroach on bear habitats, the opportunity for humans and bears to interact is becoming more and more common. In general, bears prefer to avoid humans, but often they have no choice but to enter suburbs and other populated areas in search of food. Humans may also stumble upon bears that are foraging for food in wilderness areas. Bear attacks are extremely rare, and most human encounters with a bear that result in the bear responding aggressively are the result of humans surprising bears and causing them to feel threatened.

Bears can be attracted to food or food waste left by people, although high-calorie human food is unhealthy for bears to eat. Polar bears sometimes forage at open garbage dumps in Arctic areas, risking encounters with humans. Bears in wilderness parks where people camp may seek out garbage or food kept at campsites. Special food and garbage storage containers have been designed to block access to bears. Bears that enter camping areas to find food are a danger to people and must either be relocated or destroyed.

To avoid dangerous encounters with bears, the Minnesota-based American Bear Association, a nonprofit organization, recommends that people who come into contact with a bear not run away. A bear can easily outrun a human. Instead, the association advises people to stay calm and avoid direct eye contact with the bear. According to the association, people should talk to the bear in a soothing voice, try to appear larger by raising their arms over their head, and slowly back away from the bear and retreat from the area, making a wide detour around the bear. Because of their extremely acute sense of smell, bears can often be deterred from attacking by irritating chemicals in bear-spray products.

Scientific classification: The eight living species of bears make up the family Ursidae in the order Carnivora, class Mammalia. The giant panda is classified as Ailuropoda melanoleuca. The spectacled bear is classified as Tremarctos ornatus. The sun bear is Helarctos malayanus (also classified as Ursus malayanus), and the sloth bear is Melursus ursinus. The Asiatic black bear is Ursus thibetanus. The American black bear is Ursus americanus and the subspecies Kermode bear is Ursus americanus kermodei. The brown bear is Ursus arctos, the subspecies grizzly and Alaskan brown bear are both classified as Ursus arctos horribilis, and the Kodiak bear is Ursus arctos middendorffi. The polar bear is classified as Ursus maritimus.