“GRIZZLY BEARS RARELY ATTACK PEOPLE
A grizzly bear on a cold morning in Yellowstone National Park. (photo: Jim Peaco/National Park Service)
BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT PREDATORY TOWARD PEOPLE, AND ALMOST ALWAYS, THOSE ATTACKS ARE RELATED TO SURPRISE ENCOUNTERS. BEARS ARE VERY GOOD AT STAYING AWAY FROM US, AND THAT’S WHAT THEY DO MOST OF THE TIME.” — CHRIS SERVHEEN, WORKS WITH IUCN BEAR S P E C I A L I S T G R O U P & F O R M E R G R I Z Z LY B E A R R E C O V E R Y C O O R D I N AT O R W I T H U S F W S
The frequency of fatal grizzly bear attacks in the park was similar to the frequency of deaths caused by hypothermia, murder, falling trees, avalanches and lightning strikes. In that same period, 121 park visitors died by drowning, thirty-nine by falling off cliffs and twenty-one from thermal burns. More recent research by Gunther, Travis Wyman and Eric Reinertson, published in the Spring 2023 issue of International Bear News, showed that in the thirty-two years between 1991 and 2022, there were 2,275 bear encounters in the backcountry in Yellowstone and twenty-five of these resulted in attacks. “The risk of attack in the backcountry is one attack for every ninety-one backcountry encounters,” the authors noted. Grizzlies in Yellowstone number 1,100 today, a population that is orders of magnitude more than ever will be in the North Cascades in our lifetimes.
T
aylor said a healthy fear of grizzly bears is completely understandable. “It’s a normal thing for our brains to be afraid of larger animals that can attack us, and it’s good to have that fear in place so you conduct yourself in the right way in a place where there are grizzly bears, to prevent and reduce the chance of conflict.” That means hiking in a group instead of alone, and carrying bear spray, a highly effective deterrent in persuading a bear to leave you alone, he added. If you’re camping
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or living in a rural area, understand how to store your food, garbage and other potential attractants. “Understanding the risk level from grizzlies is important,” he cautioned. “You’re as likely to be struck by lightning in Yellowstone National Park as you are to be attacked and killed by a bear. Most encounters with bears don’t end in conflict, but you don’t hear about them because they don’t make the news. While I don’t mean to detract from anyone who has been attacked by a bear, it doesn’t mean grizzly bears should not exist on the landscape they lived in for thousands of years.” Servheen is in full agreement. “Grizzly bears rarely attack people because they’re not predatory toward people, and almost always, those attacks are related to surprise
