Throughout history, bears have been revered, feared, persecuted and idolized; to humanity they have symbolized everything from mother figures in ancient cultures, icons in various religions, to the embodiment of gluttony and sloth.
Outdoor magazines, taxidermists and posts on social media depict bears as snarling, angry, charging, attacking; lips drawn back with crumpled snout, in artificial expressions of anger and aggression.
Why do people fear bears?
Image vs Reality
Bears are among the many magnificent, sentient beings that deserve to thrive on this planet. They are amazingly strong and adaptive, yet we have systematically eradicated populations and destroyed bear habitat. Throughout history, their existence has been riddled with a myriad of perceptions and misconceptions. To this day, bears have been revered, feared, persecuted and idolized; to humanity they have symbolized everything from mother figures in ancient cultures, icons in various religions, to the embodiment of gluttony and sloth. They are looked upon as fearsome predators but also soft cuddly friends for children. To many, bears represent all that is wild. Humans, however have often broken their spirits – hunting them for sport, making them spectacles in zoos, baiting bears with dogs, feeding rings through their sensitive noses and forcing them to dance, and keeping them in tiny cages for their entire lives with catheters extracting bile from their gall bladders.
Outdoor magazines, taxidermists and posts on social media depict bears as snarling, angry, charging, attacking; lips drawn back with crumpled snout, in artificial expressions of anger and aggression. Unfortunately, the media chronically misuses terminology, reports incidents incorrectly and far too often overly sensationalizes bear encounters.
Unlike cats and dogs who bare their teeth when they feel defensive, bears do not. Black bears typically run away, climb for safety, or show harmless bluster, however, grizzly moms can become more intense. Bears may signal their unease by narrowing their muzzles and pursing their lips, clacking their teeth, making huffing sounds, and/or swatting the ground, and occasionally, they’ll exhibit their mood with a display charge.
Blustery behaviour is not a prelude to an attack nor a sign of aggression. The bear is nervous and communicating that it needs space.
Many myths and misconceptions about bears still exist, but when we make an effort to understand their behaviour and communication, and replace fear with respect, we can coexist safely with these beautiful, intelligent animals.
“Bears are intrinsically social, they need to be social, but our species has not let them do so because of our own profound fear.”
FOLKLORE
From: ‘Bears without Fear’ by Kevin Van Tighem
“Perhaps no other animals have so excited the human imagination as bears. References to bears are found in ancient and modern literature, folk songs, legends, mythology, children stories, and cartoons. Bears are among the first animals that children learn to recognize. Bear folklore is confusing because it is based on caricatures, with Teddy Bears and the kindly Smokey on one hand and ferocious magazine cover drawings on the other. Dominant themes of our folklore are fear of the unknown and man against nature, and bears have traditionally been portrayed as the villains to support those themes, unfairly demonizing them to the public. “