Bears are one of my favorite animals. I could watch this video of bears acting like humans to get extra food over and over again.
Believe it or not, bears are generally afraid of people and will not attack unless they are provoked. Most bear attacks are the result of human behavior. A bear will ONLY attack when it feels threatened, startled or defensive of her young. Only in extremely rare cases has a bear been known to attack a human for any other reason.
However, we can't always guess what's going on inside a bear's head. 15-year-old Leah Reeder of Easpoint, FL learned this the hard way when a black bear attacked her and knocked her to the ground when she was out taking her dog for a walk.
Fortunately, she is out of the hospital and recovering at home. How did she make it out alive? She credits her survival to her dog, a 25-pound springer spaniel named Ralph.
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On the night she was attacked, Leah took her dog, Ralph, out for a walk. She listened to her music through headphones and was focused on her phone screen. She was distracted, thus she was surprised when the bear attacked.
A small black bear jumped out and threw Leah to the ground. It took her a few moments to be even know what was happening. He bit and scratched her as she wriggled on the ground.
Fortunately, Leah remembered a very important lesson she was taught in school. She quickly laid still and "played dead." As soon as she stopped screaming and moving, the bear ceased trying to attack her.
That's when Ralph jumped into action. Ralph, though much smaller than Leah's attacker, started barking and lunging at the bear. His methods worked and the bear was scared away.
Had Ralph not been there, the attack could have been much worse. Leah was able to walk back to her father's house, but medical attention was needed immediately.
She persevered through hours of surgery and hundreds of stitches.
Leah's status improved and she was able to spend Christmas with her family.
This brave spring spaniel followed his instincts to protect his owner, even though the predator was much larger. Imagine a 25 lb. dog attacking a 200 lb. bear!
The man pictured below is a professional bear trainer, but if you ever encounter a bear, do not run or turn your back to the bear. This will trigger the bear's predatory instinct.
Instead, slowly back away from the bear until you can get to safety or until the bear feels it is no longer being threatened.
Reminder: the man in the photos above is a trained professional who studies bears.
If you encounter a polar bear or grizzly bear who attacks, play dead and keep your vital organs covered. Protect your face and try to get on your stomach. However, if you meet a black bear, experts suggest that you should fight back. Black bears will not
Grizzly bears are much larger than black bears. They usually have a large shoulder hump and a rump lower than the shoulder. Typically, their fur is brown. Black bears are usually smaller in size. A black bear's rump is higher than or at the same level as the shoulder.
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