When a bear meets a person, it often reacts as it would to another bear. Understanding this behaviour is the best way to avoid negative interactions.

BEARS ARE PREDICTABLE. Bears exhibit predictable behaviour. This trait can be beneficial to people if they come into contact with bears.

BEARS AREN'T BOOGIEMEN. Bears are not malicious. Except for extremely rare predatory behaviour, they are not out to "get" people. Unless they are forced to be around humans to be near a food source, they usually choose to avoid us.

BLACK AND BROWN BEARS HAVE EVOLVED DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL. The adaptations of both species have molded their relationships-and reactions-to people. Black bears are excellent climbers. When a black bear is threatened it usually runs from the threat or goes up a tree. With cubs out of danger, female black bears don't have to make vigorous defenses-risking potential injury. Although black bears tend to retreat from people, they are still incredibly strong animals that can cause injuries. Brown bears live in coastal forests but have also learned to exploit treeless habitat. They are more likely than black bears to defend themselves when threatened. A brown bear's first line of defense is to retreat, but it can be very aggressive towards other bears and people it perceives as threats.

BEARS CAN BE VERY SOCIAL. Bears are often described as asocial when compared to wolves, chimps, or lions. This may be true when making comparisons, however, to use the term asocial to describe bears is incorrect. While bears do not join in hunts, they can co-exist in very close proximity to each other. The bears of a region are usually familiar with one another and meetings consist of complex social exchanges.

BEARS ARE NOT TERRITORIAL. Being territorial means keeping other members of your species away from a given area. Wolves and primates are territorial-bears aren't. Bears, like people, share home ranges. This mutual use of land and resources is a basis for bear social behaviour.

BEARS LIVE IN A DOMINANCE HIERARCHY. Mature males are at the top of the hierarchy, and sub-adults and cubs at the bottom. Bears establish and maintain their social position and place in the hierarchy by acting aggressively. Single females and females with cubs are almost always submissive to mature males but have a loose hierarchy within their own group. This hierarchy is based on age, size, and temperament-some bears are more aggressive than others.

BEARS DEFEND PERSONAL SPACE. Bears, like humans and other animals, have a critical space-an area around them that they may defend. Once you have entered a bear's critical space you have forced the bear to act-either to run away or be aggressive. The size of the critical space is different for every bear and situation.

BEARS HABITUATE, OR BECOME ACCUSTOMED, TO PEOPLE JUST LIKE THEY DO TO OTHER BEARS. Because plentiful food resources can be localized-salmon in a stream or berries on a mountainside-bears have evolved behaviour that allows them to tolerate each other at close distances. This behaviour is transferred to their relationship with humans. If they are not shot or harassed, bears habituate to people the same way they do to each other.

BEARS REACT TO NEW THINGS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT. New objects or situations often frighten bears. Behaviourists call this "strange object response." After an initial fright, bears will often investigate what alarmed them. This is not an aggressive act and shouldn't be regarded as one.

BEARS ARE NOT ALWAYS AWARE. Bears, particularly adult brown bears, are not always aware of what is going on around them. They are at the top of the food chain and have few concerns. A big bear following a trail doesn't always look ahead. A bear can literally blunder into an unsuspecting person.

SOURCE: Living in Harmony with BEARS - Alaska State Office of the National Audubon Society 2000

Learn more about bear behaviour according to Ben Kilham. See What is it about a bear? Summarized from Ben Kilham's book Among the Bears: Raising Orphan Cubs in the Wild - Chapter 26