Though not actually hibernating yet, our bears are spending most of their time resting in dens. Ted and Honey usually leave their dens once a day to eat and drink. Little Lucky does not venture far from the den he shares with Ted.
There are 4 man-made dens for the 3 bears and plenty of places within the 2-acre enclosure for a bear to make a den. However, Lucky has chosen to sleep behind Ted in a man-made den.
Honey is sleeping in a wooden den built up against the viewing windows. Winter visitors to the Bear Center can see her through the glass.
Last year Lucky was lively at this time, but this year he is the sleepy one and big Ted is our wide-awake bear.
Why Do We Fear Bears?
Excessive Warnings About Attacks
Attacks are rare and excessive warnings about them create unnecessary fear.
Balanced and factual information about bears is hard
to find. Providing that information is the main goal of the North
American Bear Center where the bears themselves provide much of the
information through video footage and research data.
Black bears use sounds, body language, and scent-marking to express their emotions of the moment.
The main thing that helped me get over my fear of bears was learning their language—learning to interpret bear bluster in terms of their fear rather than my fear—learning that behaviors I thought were threatening were really expressions of their own apprehension. - Lynn L. Rogers, Ph.D., 2007
Amiable sounds are grunts and
tongue clicks used by mothers concerned for their cubs and by bears
approaching other bears to mate or play. Cubs make a motor-like
pulsing hum when they nurse or are especially comfortable.
This is probably the most common question we hear.
The standard answer nationwide is, "Speak calmly and back away slowly." This is good advice. It identifies you as a person, shows that you are non-threatening, and gives the bear space.
Is following this advice necessary to avoid an attack? No.
