It is disturbing how comfortable black bears have become around humans. That will only lead to more negative encounters over time especially when you consider how truly dumb most people are.
What's their other choice? Die of starvation? Black bears don't live in the harsher wilds that we left partially alone. They live in the areas we turned into housing and parks.
They are just big raccoons. Don't pet or fuck with them, and if you want them to go away just make some noise.
Like raccoons, they associate humans with providing a food source via garbage bins, landfills and they will even break into cottages to raid the pantry or even the fridge. There are far fewer hunters than there once were so their numbers have increased greatly. Unlike raccoons, the chances of negative encounters with humans have significantly worse outcomes for both humans and the bears, the bear gets an automatic death sentence no matter how stupid the person was.
That's brown bears/grizzlies. Black bears evolved when north america had lions, hyenas, bigger, badder bears, a second bigger badder bear, cougars and wolves, and all of them ATE black bears. Black bears learned to run first and ask questions later, and to them it's still twelve thousand years ago.
You don't have a lot of black bear experience, do you? If you aren't coming towards them or surprising them, they'll just continue on their way. I guarantee that anyone that hikes in black bear country regularly comes within 100 feet of bears regularly, the bears know it, and they just watch you until you leave.
I have a tone of black bear experience in the actual wild. Not just in parks where the bears are all but domesticated. I’ve been charged by angry mommas twice and both times had to wait them out in my canoe.
OK cool. My experience is way the hell in the middle of nowhere Ontario. As long as I made sure they saw me in time for them not to be startled and I didn't go in their direction, never any trouble.
Black bears are just big raccoons. Everyone did right by staying still. Although honestly, anyone moving or making noise would have just resulted in momma booking it.
Black bears are NOT the same threat as larger varieties, and typically live closer to (and occasionally among) people. As long as they aren't sick or injured, you're fine. (If it's sick or injured, a raccoon could put you in the hospital just as easily.)
Even with cubs? In other situations, I know you're right. Frankly, I do not have in depth experience here, only second hand as advice. Also bears are documented to climb at least Yosemite 5.10, so harder than most humans. Can't remember if that was black or brown though. Black bears go right up trees like it's nothing. Which I have seen.
Look at that little nerd following right behind mama. Look at the nerd jump he does! What a little fuckin nerd. I wish I could cuddle that nerd for like 10 min
Full sized black bears would only be ridable by children and young teens. Think of them as big raccoons, and you'll have a closer idea of their personality and behavior than thinking of them as bears.
If you want a bear a grown adult can ride, that's a brown or a grizzly.
They do NOT act like raccoons, and are more than willing to maul the fuck out of anyone that mistakes them for their smaller cousins.
Brown bears have intelligence matching great apes like gorillas. They're spooky smart. Horses are relatively stupid and cause accidents all the time. Bears don't tend to accidentally hurt people, they mostly very much on purpose hurt people.
Saw a documentary about keeping big predators as pets. That is basically what they said about bears as pets. They will be non violent to keepers. But the problem is if they go to rough house with you. They accidentally break you neck because they used 10% of their strength instead of 5%
Heard a story from a trainer about accidentally stepping on a bear's paw, and it immediately reared up on him. He thought he was dead. And this was an animal that was extremely gentle, calm, etc (for a bear), and the trainer knew he was still always one mistake away from death. Obviously the bear calmed down immediately, but it's still chilling.
sandymount
“Yeah… I didn’t think so.”
ButtscratchMcPherson
She's probably going to try wreck my bird feeder again... ****ing black bears.
thelastboomer
Looks like it’s Cades Cove
slightlybrokenegg
If a bear does this feel honored it trusted you.
pr3viso
Black bears aren't particularly aggressive
BlindGardener
AHHHHHH FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. ABORT ABORT. GO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. AHHHHHH.
weidermeijer
What a polite family.
imd2101
No sudden movements
Jonaltram
Can I pet that dawg?
Captain71
Is this at Smokey mtn park ?
AveryB
It definitely looks like Cade's Cove.
mjcherbert
+1 for the Greenspeed trike ... looks like a GT2 or similar ...
FatBastardVegetarian
Looks like Cade's Cove, TN.
Timmy79
Those cyclists are doing a sterling job at not getting mauled
TwoWheelsGoodFourWheelsBad
They look like they could run away quickly, except for one...
Timmy79
The guy in the recumbent could probably back up. The rest won't get going in time if the bear goes for them
Jamnew60
Bear cubs: “Ma, Ma, Ma, slow down Ma! Ooh look humans! Ma, Ma, Ma!”
bitemark
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1aTRneDhkdGQ3bDQ3ZG1rc2FuY2VqZ2F2MjFpeXhtOWt2OTJkdjY2OCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l2YWCpSObrdQe4Gqc/200w.webp Go give pats to a cub
WhichEndDoITypeIntoAgain
No joke, man. Three kids is a LOT for one parent!
shutupthisisreal
she can hardly bear
fluxfusion3
Black bears OK, Brown bears BAD , White bears BYE- BYE.
racebannon
Cades Cove, TN?
AveryB
Exactly what I was thinking.
SortaSordid
It is disturbing how comfortable black bears have become around humans. That will only lead to more negative encounters over time especially when you consider how truly dumb most people are.
queernosaur
I just learned that apparently in Romania this IS a huge issue because people keep fucking feeding them
KittenInside
It will lead to culling at some point, like we used to do with wolves.
jasondeslin
What's their other choice? Die of starvation? Black bears don't live in the harsher wilds that we left partially alone. They live in the areas we turned into housing and parks.
They are just big raccoons. Don't pet or fuck with them, and if you want them to go away just make some noise.
SortaSordid
Like raccoons, they associate humans with providing a food source via garbage bins, landfills and they will even break into cottages to raid the pantry or even the fridge. There are far fewer hunters than there once were so their numbers have increased greatly. Unlike raccoons, the chances of negative encounters with humans have significantly worse outcomes for both humans and the bears, the bear gets an automatic death sentence no matter how stupid the person was.
elohiim
Apparently you've never fought a raccoon that got into the trailer park community trash and found the cocaine cousin Ricky lost. Fear the Crackoon.
queernosaur
As someone who works with wildlife, bears are definitely not just big raccoons 😄
inimitableSoliton
Those people are idiots. Mama bears are not rational when the kids are around. Get the fuck away.
angryregistrar
That's brown bears/grizzlies. Black bears evolved when north america had lions, hyenas, bigger, badder bears, a second bigger badder bear, cougars and wolves, and all of them ATE black bears. Black bears learned to run first and ask questions later, and to them it's still twelve thousand years ago.
jridley
You don't have a lot of black bear experience, do you?
If you aren't coming towards them or surprising them, they'll just continue on their way.
I guarantee that anyone that hikes in black bear country regularly comes within 100 feet of bears regularly, the bears know it, and they just watch you until you leave.
inimitableSoliton
I have a tone of black bear experience in the actual wild. Not just in parks where the bears are all but domesticated. I’ve been charged by angry mommas twice and both times had to wait them out in my canoe.
jridley
OK cool. My experience is way the hell in the middle of nowhere Ontario. As long as I made sure they saw me in time for them not to be startled and I didn't go in their direction, never any trouble.
Syko73
Everyone is still WAYYY too close!
thedudeman519
I mean the bear walked through then. Not exactly much they could do at that point
dripstone
black bear.... brown bear meh, grizzle or kodiak on the other hand, you F'd.
scrumbles666
Grizzly bears are brown bears. American black bears are relatively harmless, but all the other bears in N. America you want to keep far away from.
jridley
For black bears? Meh.
jasondeslin
Black bears are just big raccoons. Everyone did right by staying still. Although honestly, anyone moving or making noise would have just resulted in momma booking it.
Black bears are NOT the same threat as larger varieties, and typically live closer to (and occasionally among) people. As long as they aren't sick or injured, you're fine. (If it's sick or injured, a raccoon could put you in the hospital just as easily.)
Just don't try to pet it.
ArcaneM37
Generally I would say you are correct, but with triplets and two of them lagging behind.... all bets are off.
GorillaPowers
You had me until the last line
jasondeslin
Yeah, that's how I'm probably going to die as well, but I'm aware of how suicidal my need to rub those fuzzy ears is.
I give good advice, but when's the last time you even heard of someone giving good advice that was also a good example?
wouldClimbForCash
You can't run away at that point.
KingMagenta
Yep riding down the trail and most likely got stopped
Howlingowl
You don’t run from black bears. They’re pushovers.
wouldClimbForCash
Even with cubs? In other situations, I know you're right. Frankly, I do not have in depth experience here, only second hand as advice. Also bears are documented to climb at least Yosemite 5.10, so harder than most humans. Can't remember if that was black or brown though. Black bears go right up trees like it's nothing. Which I have seen.
absolutezero182
You can slowly back up away from it though. Just don't turn your back on it
azazyel
No but you can slowly push your friend forward
malbec
Or shoot your friend in the knee and back away
RatOnnaStick
I had a friend who did just that to me. I guess I _thought_ he was my friend.
drousnavat
It's fucked up that bears look like that and will kill you.
yamsonyamsonyams
Imagine how women feel about handsome men!
#ichoosetheman(ForMortalCombat)
Thekindofkindlyman
If not friend, why friend shaped?
derrymerbles
Look at that little nerd following right behind mama. Look at the nerd jump he does! What a little fuckin nerd. I wish I could cuddle that nerd for like 10 min
HouseOfEvil
"His last words were, 'I got to hug it!"'
drousnavat
You bet your ass if an animal is trying to kill me and I know I do not have a shot at winning, I am gonna pet it.
MrNobodyWTB
If death a coming, may was well accept it's warm fuzzy embrace
PutItInNeutral
We humans seem to think every other mamalian predators are cute.
drousnavat
Pretty much every creature can be cute to someone
Rasayana
Jupp. Try to bring up some outlandish shit like parasites crawling under your skin and there would still be that few dozens of guys.
andygneiss
Some guy: "Trust me, they're not really parasites as it's a symbiotic relationship. Just the other day I..."
Us: Nope.
(Though, this does remind me of an episode from the Men In Black cartoon.)
CrisprCAS
Just think, 100-200 years and we could breed small, domesticated bears.
MithridateEupator
Probably not. True that's how long it took dogs, but dogs are already a pack based creature that is highly adaptable.
CrisprCAS
Dogs took a lot longer than that, but it was predominantly under unintentional selection. Intentional selection can get it done a lot faster.
HighSorcerer
It's the same reason we don't have domesticated big cats. Tame, maybe. Human tolerant, possibly. Domesticated? Nope. They are still gonna be a lion.
MithridateEupator
House cats too are technically only semi-domesticated. They still retain many of their wild traits and instincts.
drousnavat
I want a full size domesticated bear I can ride like a horse and that will enjoy eating berries with me on hikes
jasondeslin
Full sized black bears would only be ridable by children and young teens. Think of them as big raccoons, and you'll have a closer idea of their personality and behavior than thinking of them as bears.
If you want a bear a grown adult can ride, that's a brown or a grizzly.
They do NOT act like raccoons, and are more than willing to maul the fuck out of anyone that mistakes them for their smaller cousins.
Good luck with the domestication...
CrisprCAS
You really don't want a full sized bear. Think about how easy it is for horses to accidentally kill people, bears would be worse.
DWandRFaremyspiritbeings
Meh...better than dying in a cubicle from a heart attack, generating profit for a mega corp.
antikytherion
Brown bears have intelligence matching great apes like gorillas. They're spooky smart. Horses are relatively stupid and cause accidents all the time. Bears don't tend to accidentally hurt people, they mostly very much on purpose hurt people.
CrisprCAS
Bears aren't around people much. Try living with one.
Isthe4thtimethecharm
Saw a documentary about keeping big predators as pets. That is basically what they said about bears as pets. They will be non violent to keepers. But the problem is if they go to rough house with you. They accidentally break you neck because they used 10% of their strength instead of 5%
CrisprCAS
Heard a story from a trainer about accidentally stepping on a bear's paw, and it immediately reared up on him. He thought he was dead. And this was an animal that was extremely gentle, calm, etc (for a bear), and the trainer knew he was still always one mistake away from death. Obviously the bear calmed down immediately, but it's still chilling.