Changing The Way We Talk About Grizzly Bears

All photos by Eddy Savage

Almost 15 years ago, in my first year in the field working as a naturalist guide in the Great Bear Rainforest, I was leading a family of four on short forest walk down a riverside trail in the heart of grizzly bear habitat. We followed the meandering path along the salmon bearing river for around ten minutes or so before pausing to soak in the lush scene. It was a sunny and pleasant afternoon, with birds singing melodically, and the dense understory and tall trees glowing in different hues of green. As my group sat basking in the beauty, I kept an eye out down both the trail in both directions, periodically singing “hey bear” or “heyo” every 30 seconds to inform any nearby or approaching bears that were were on the trail. Sure enough, after five minutes of basking, a grizzly bear appeared down the trail. It was walking on the same riverside trail, coming in our direction, and moving at what I assessed was a slow / relaxed step. Not an ounce of hurry in this bears movement. Promptly, I began talking softly in the bears direction, “hey bear”, “we’re just coming down the trail”, the bear glanced at me and didn’t change its pace at all.  I reminded my guests not to run, to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other, no eye contact, no running, take some deep breaths, and remain calm – this bear is just walking the trail trying to get somewhere. I glanced over to my group a few times, checking to see how they were managing, and the mom was hyperventilating, the dad was taking pictures on his iPhone and ignoring me, the twelve-year-old was trying to get her parents to pay attention to my instructions, and the nine-year-old was following my instructions perfectly. As I continued to calmly talk in the bears direction, the grizzly bear gave us another half-hearted glance, changed paths, and continued down an adjacent trail down to the river. It was about as passive of a bear encounter you could imagine. However, what struck me was how my guests reacted once we got back from the day’s excursion.

When we returned from our trip, we boated back to a lodge with around thirty other guests and crew. Without hesitation, the family began orating how a “hungry and ferocious grizzly bear stalked them down a dark trail in the forest” and they were lucky to be here after their “brush with certain death”. They told their story of survival with anyone who would listen for the rest of the evening. The tale was so tall I wondered if we had even been on the same walk together.

This experience is one of many like it that has left a lasting impression. Why did the family feel so afraid? At what point did they decide the bear was going to attack or eat them? How often is this the case when stories from people using hiking trails, backyards, etc.? How many people will they share this experience with and what will they take away from it? All in all, it helped me take a step back and reflect on how many bear encounter stories I’ve heard from people will all sorts of different backgrounds and how easily an extremely calm encounter can turn into something almost completely fabricated and fear riddled. How many people share accurate representations of grizzly bear encounters and how can that affect the general publics perception of these bears?

After experiencing this anecdote unfold dozens of times during my career as a bear viewing guide, I have made it a mission of mine to better communicate bear behaviour and actions, and to assure that no embellishment exists. For the tall-tales, exaggerations, and fear-based narratives only serve to further perpetuate a negative perception of the mighty grizzly bears.

If you do encounter a grizzly bear in its habitat, try to put yourself in the bear’s footprints. Bears are not inherently hunting humans; they are guided through the forest only by what the bear needs. Often this is berry patches, places to dig roots, searching for insect larvae, looking for salmon, following the scent of another bear, and similar routines. They are not unpredictable, they are quite measured in their behaviour, and it is the human’s responsibility to be predictable as well. They are not looking for conflict. In fact, they are mostly trying to avoid conflict and stressful encounters, much like humans. So, share your stories without embellishment and emphasize what the bears are really doing, and what a gift it is to share the same ground as these beautiful animals.

Grizzly bears are one of the ultimate symbols of wild spaces throughout their entire range. Those that share habitat with grizzlies are, in my mind, privileged to share their backyards, workplaces, and recreating areas with such an iconic species. However, at present, where grizzly bears and human meet, there is often some form of perceived conflict, and actual conflict is very rare. As a long-lived, and widely ranging species, a grizzly bears demand for an intact ecosystem is large, and when human settlements encroach on these intact ecosystems, the fragility of the human-grizzly relationship begins to reveal itself. There are many ways to better support our furry neighbours through direct action, education, and fundamentally, the way we talk about grizzly bears and our experiences with them.

Take advantage of the ample resources available online and in print for better understanding the behaviours, seasonal use, and safety while working, playing, or living alongside grizzly bear. However, be mindful when clicking through online articles as there are many sensationalized resources widely available and publicized. Biased groups, mainly hunting organizations or lobby groups generally push a fear-based rhetoric and often demand culls or hunts to “control” the bear population. It is, sadly, misinformation. The best resources will arm you with knowledge, skills, and a better understanding of grizzly bears so that you can live, work, or play respectfully in their habitat. My advice to all those who have a grizzly bear encounter is to take a step away from the temptation of sharing a dramatized version of events and focus on sharing the true behaviour of the bears, no matter how mundane or predictable. The world needs to know more about the true nature of grizzly bears, not their imagined version.

Here are some sites that come highly recommended to better understand grizzly bear behaviour, habits, and safety.

WildSafeBC - https://wildsafebc.com/species/grizzly-bear/

Parks Canada - https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety/ours-humains-bears-people