Bear danger

Places such as Denali National Park in Alaska, U.S., emphasize proper techniques of food storage and garbage disposal, closures of park areas, training videos, and occasionally firearms on aggressive bears to prevent bears from claiming the lives of campers.

Running away or climbing a tree can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey.

Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a fetal position so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening.

Bears are opportunistic omnivores with an excellent sense of smell, and are attracted to human and pet foods as well as refuse.

Warnings about being fined $500, imprisoned for six months, and the obvious risk of being mauled by a bear are added on in some places as extra deterrents for humans to stay away.

In Svalbard, which has an abundance of polar bears, any company outside of settlements is required to carry a rifle for self-defense.

Large-caliber revolvers, chambered for .44 Magnum or even more powerful cartridges, are more effective, but not as effective as long guns sized in even a medium caliber (7mm class) or gauge (20ga) based on available energy and/or projectile weight; handguns are generally considered a minimum level of defense, not optimal.

Long guns chambered for medium hunting cartridges like 9.3×62mm, 9.3×64mm Brenneke, .338 Winchester Magnum or .375 Holland & Holland Magnum are often considered for last resort defense against dangerous class 3 game, particularly the great bears including brown and polar bears.