Bear attack
[3] Fergus lists a few possible causes for this instinctive reaction, each a speculation or theory based more on intuition rather than physical evidence.
Some speculate that bears inherited their cautious nature from thousands of years ago when they had to be wary of larger and more dangerous carnivores.
[6] However, this hunger has also triggered an unexpected reaction: bears began to follow gunfire because they associate it with dead animals that they can eat.
Black bears rarely attack when confronted by humans, and usually limit themselves to making mock charges, emitting blowing noises and swatting the ground with their forepaws.
However, the majority of black bear attacks tend to be motivated by hunger rather than territoriality, and thus victims have a higher probability of surviving by fighting back rather than submitting.
[12] Unlike grizzlies, female black bears do not display the same level of protectiveness toward their cubs, and will seldom attack humans in their vicinity.
[14] The worst recorded fatality incident occurred in May 1978, in which a black bear killed three teenagers fishing in Algonquin Park in Canada.
[15] The majority of attacks happened in national parks, usually near campgrounds, where the bears had become habituated to human contact and food.
[13] Between 1964 and 1976 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there were 1,028 documented incidents of black bears acting aggressively toward people, 107 of which resulted in injury.
T. Vere of Srinagar, Kashmir wrote of how his hospital received dozens of black bear victims annually.
He wrote that, when attacking humans, black bears will rear up on their hind legs and knock victims over with their paws.
[19] However, in India, attacks on humans have been increasing yearly and have occurred largely in the northwestern and western Himalayan region.
In the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh, the number of black bear attacks on humans gradually increased from 10 in 1988–89 to 21 in 1991–92.
[20][needs update] Recent bear attacks on humans have been reported from Junbesi and Langtang National Park in Nepal, and occurred in villages as well as in the surrounding forest.
[27] In the majority of attacks resulting in injury, brown bears precede the attack with a growl or huffing sound,[13] and seem to confront humans as they would when fighting other bears: they rise up on their hind legs, and attempt to "disarm" their victims by biting and holding on to the lower jaw to avoid being bitten in turn.
[17] Most attacks occur in the months of July, August and September, the time when the number of outdoor recreationalists, such as hikers or hunters, is higher.
[13] Attacks on humans are considered extremely rare in the former Soviet Union, though exceptions exist in districts where they are not pursued by hunters.
[30] East Siberian brown bears for example tend to be much bolder toward humans than their shyer, more frequently hunted European counterparts.
[34] Native American tribes whose territories overlapped with those of grizzly bears often viewed them with a mixture of awe and fear.
When Natives hunted grizzlies, the act was done with the same preparation and ceremoniality as intertribal warfare, and was never done except with a company of 4 to 10 warriors.
During the Spanish colonial period, some tribes, instead of hunting grizzlies themselves, would seek aid from European colonists to deal with problem bears.
Many authors in the American west wrote of Natives or voyagers with lacerated faces and missing noses or eyes due to attacks from grizzlies.
[41] In Madhya Pradesh, sloth bear attacks accounted for the deaths of 48 people and the injuring of 686 others between the years 1989 and 1994, probably due in part to the density of population and competition for food sources.
[42] One specimen, known as the sloth bear of Mysore, was single-handedly responsible for the deaths of 12 people and the mutilation of 2 dozen others before being shot by Kenneth Anderson.
They typically charge on all fours with their head held low, before rearing on their hind legs and striking at their attackers with their claws and teeth.
[50] Settlers, indigenous, villagers and farmers defended their families and livestock by killing the local predators, including bears.
[54] The various species of bear are well-developed for survival, both for attaining food and defending against predators, including unarmed humans.
Polar bears are known to swim for kilometers in search of food and to scoop 200 kg (440 lb) seals out of the water.
However, the jaws of bears are controlled by large muscles that are capable of crushing bones, which gives access to the nutritious marrow within.
As shown in the medical procedure led by Professor Shuzhong Guo, extreme cases of bear attacks have resulted in plastic surgeries and even facial transplants that, while successful, may take several years to complete and are sometimes fatal.
