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By Harvey Thommasen, with Photography by Nick Didlick I was in Hyder, Alaska, a week after an unfortunate guy was mauled and partially eaten by a grizzly bear, while sleeping under the stars, on a bear trail just outside of town. The attack got me thinking about a study we did a few years ago while I was living in Bella Coola. I would wager that most flyfishers routinely consider the risk of encountering bears whenever they step off the beaten path towards his or her favorite fishing hole.
Bella Coola Valley has been dubbed the "Killer Bear Capital of the World" because it has been the site of a number of severe bear maulings over the past 30 years. To determine the nature and extent of this health care problem in the Bella Coola Valley and the surrounding Central Coast area we reviewed medical charts of patients who presented to the Bella Coola General Hospital after a bear mauling. During 1963-1992, 11 people were documented to have been injured by a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) or black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Central Coast area of British Columbia. None of these people were fatally injured. The average age of these patients was 36 years old, with a range of 14 - 63 years old. Ten males were involved and only one female. Six of the people had injuries severe enough that they were admitted to hospital for at least one week. Grizzly bears were involved in all but one attack, and they accounted for all the attacks which resulted in hospitalization. A wounded, black bear who was feeding in a fruit tree and being actively harassed by a domestic dog, was responsible for the only black bear attack recorded on the Central Coast area over the past 30 years. Female grizzly bears were responsible for seven of the attacks. All seven female grizzly bears were with cubs at the time of the attacks. In five of these attacks cub defence was clearly the reason for attack. In one other attack, the female was feeding at a moose carcass with full grown cubs, and it is believed she attacked primarily to protect her food supply; ie, a carcass defence-type of attack. In the other incident involving a female grizzly bear with a cub, Conservation Officers were tracking down the bear in dense bush because it had been shot and was believed wounded and dangerous. While this wounded bear may have attacked to protect her full grown cub, it seems more likely she attacked in self-defense.
Male grizzly bears were implicated in two attacks. They were similar in that the two attacks were not particularly violent (though wounds were serious in one attack), but rather seemed to be tentative, aggressive/predaceous attacks. Both attacks were broken off when the victims actively resisted attack. According to British Columbia Vital Statistics Records, 12 people, in 11 separate incidents were fatally attacked by a bear between Jan 1963 to Dec 1992 in British Columbia. The attacks were distributed throughout the province. The random distribution of these attacks suggests that there is no single high-risk region for fatal maulings. The average age of these victims was 32 years old, with a range of 10-77 years old. Ten males and two females were killed. Grizzly bears were responsible for six deaths, black bears were responsible for five deaths, and in one death officials could not determine with certainty whether a grizzly or black bear was responsible. Four of these fatal attacks occurred in wilderness areas. During one of these wilderness attacks two men were killed by the same grizzly bear. Four fatal bear attacks took place near human habitation. One death occurred in a National Park, and two deaths occurred in or near campground areas. These fatal attacks occurred between May and January, with one attack occurring in May, June, August, September, November and January; two attacks occurred in October; and three of these attacks occurred in July. Although the figures are highly controversial, there is an estimated 1,500 grizzly bears in the Central Coast of British Columbia, 10,000 grizzly bears in all of British Columbia and an estimated 61,000 grizzly bears in all of North America. There is an estimated 7,500 black bears in the Central Coast , 63,000 black bears in British Columbia, and an estimated 500,000 black bears in all of North America. The disproportionate number of maulings by the less numerous grizzly bear confirms its reputation as being more dangerous than black bear.
Reviewing the details of the various bear maulings revealed that there were basic types of bear attacks; namely defensive/aggressive attacks and aggressive/predaceous attacks. In a defensive/aggressive attack the bear feels threatened and attacks. If necessary it will make contact, immobilize and then retreat from the threat. These attacks are typically brief, intense, and although the injuries can be major, death is rare. These attacks will occur in response to threats to cubs, food supply (eg carcass), individual space, or personal safety, either by other bears, other animals, or humans. Cub defense type attacks are a type of defensive/aggressive attack which frequently arises when there has been an abrupt and unexpected encounter with a female bear and her cubs. Carcass defence is another type of defensive/aggressive attack, and it typically occurs because another bear, animal, or a human got too close to a carcass the bear was feeding on. In an aggressive/predaceous attack the bear attacks because it wants something. Two major types of aggressive/predaceous attacks on people are recognized. In one type of attack the bear is aggressively seeking food from people. In the other type of aggressive/predaceous attack the motive for the attack is human predation. After reviewing the Registration of Death forms, and limited details of the attacks from other sources (newspaper articles, officials directly involved in the cases) we believe 9 of 11 fatal mauling incidents (4 grizzly, 5 black) were the result of aggressive/predaceous bear attacks; one fatal mauling was the result of a cub defence attack, and we were not able to determine the type of attack in one incident. We were not able to confidently determine sex of bear involved in all the attacks, nor were we able to obtain a detailed description of wounds and exact cause of death. It is clear from the records that most victims suffered from multiple injuries, and that at least ten of the victims had
The data reveal that although such outcomes are rare, injury and death to people can follow an encounter with a grizzly bear or black bear. More commonly bears run away or are killed or injured. A number of studies, including ours, reveals that bear attacks almost always involve one or two people. Very rarely have three people been attacked and there are no cases of four people being attacked by a bear. All studies show that men are more likely to be attacked by a bear than women. Hunting, camping, fishing, prospecting, forestry and fishery field work, are activities which are commonly associated with bear encounters. Men are more likely to be involved in these activities, hence are more likely to have a bear encounter. Some people have suggested that menstrual blood may be an attractant to bears. To date there is no evidence to suggest that there is any correlation between attacks on women and particular stage of menstural cycle. Bear attacks occur throughout the year, but are most likely to occur in the summer and fall months. Likely this reflects the fact that these are popular camping, fishing, and hunting months in British Columbia. Visitor density and trail usage is greatest this time of year, and therefore this will be the time of year when an encounter between bear and human is most likely to occur. So much for the statistics. |
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A review of Human Safety Complaints forms compiled by British Columbia Wildlife Branch officials from 1984-1992 shows that 5,581 people believed they were harassed by bears, 29 people were nonfatally injured after an encounter with a bear, and 4 people were killed. During this same 1984-1992 period hunters killed 3,132 grizzly bears and 36,475 black bears throughout British Columbia. An additional 247 grizzly bears and 3,286 black bears were killed by non-hunters during this same time period - primarily for "animal control" reasons.
