Animal Viewing - Bear Sighting
Bear sighting activities are usually excursions within areas where bears can be found and tourists are accompanied by a guide. Some of the most visited destinations are Alaska, Canada, Finland and Spain.
The best choice is to observe them from a specific sightseeing place.
To observe these kind of mammals is preferable to use specific sightseeing places and hides proper for this activity, and if possible, in a fixed schedule. This activity has the advantage that minimizes the stress that we can cause to the animals, making our behaviour more predictable and giving them the choice of approaching us or not.
In case of a wildlife sightseeing, we must be aware of the difficulty of sightseeing, which is not always possible. The planning of this activity should not only focus on seeing the animal, but also focus on the observation and interpretation of the nature, of ethnographic heritage, on the living of local populations, etc.
In both cases, we must keep in mind the following general considerations:
- The appropriate distance to sightseeing (45 meters) is what makes the observer go unnoticed by the animal and allows it to act according to its natural behavior. If you observe that the animal is annoyed (although we are respecting the minimum distance) and changes its behavior (stops eating, changes direction, observes you...) or stops doing what s/he was doing, then the distance must be increased. It is recommended the use of telescopes, binoculars or telephoto lenses to get good sights at prudential distances.
- Never stand between a mother and her cub.
- Avoid making nocturnal sightseeing.
- Drive cautiously along the roads near bear areas, as they are usually potential points of crashes.
- Move preferably along roads and tracks and do not open new paths or steps. Go and leave the place by the same way.
- Act discreetly and avoid shrill noises.
- When bears recognize our presence, they can look in our direction by raising the head and snout to determine what exactly we are and also getting up on their hind legs to see and smell us better. Once the sighting is taking place, keep absolute stealth, contain the emotions and don’t move. Prevent animals from altering their spontaneous natural behavior. Do not try to follow the animals, chase them, disturb them or annoy them.
- Do not try to get the attention of the animals to take pictures, which will always be taken without flash.
We must bear in mind that each animal has its own personality, so what for an individual might be a safe distance to tolerate the presence of humans, for another it might not. Some individuals might feel more stressed than others regarding vehicles, noise, etc. Sometimes, even if a distance can be safe for an animal, an additional stimulus (such as a sudden noise or the arrival of another bear), can bother him and make him need more personal space. The greater the distance and the precautions we take, the better for the animals.
For that reason, wildlife sightseeing carries out some dangers. We can face defensive bears or predators that see us as a possible threat to them, to their cubs or their food, and might act in a defensive way.
It is important to understand animals’ defensive reactions, which include blowing, heavy breathing, panting and growling, breathing air out of their snout loudly, biting at the air and clicking their jaws, puckering their lips, hitting the ground with their front paws, shaking the vegetation around them, lowering their heads and placing their ears backwards or towards the front looking straight at you, quickly changing direction and speed and doing attack threats -running towards and away from you. In those cases the animal wants us to leave. We should stop and face the animal. In case of being in a group of people you should stay and act as a group. Make sure the animal has a way out and back away slowly without losing sight of the animal. If possible carry a whistle or a siren.
In an extreme situation and highly unlikely in which the bear attacks us, don’t ever run or climb trees (bears are quick and very good climbers). We should always follow these recommendations:
- Change your direction and move away slowly without losing sight of the animal. If it continues approaching, speak loudly and move in an aggressive way to intimidate the animal.
- Try to look bigger than you are (putting a bag or jacket over your head). If you are a few people, act as a group.
- If the animal persists in attacking we should be aggressive and, in order to dissuade him, throw stones or any non-food objects, shout, move your arms, hit the bear with sticks and use whistles or sirens.
The danger of the food
The food carried with us and the leftovers left in our way is the main reason for most of the bear attacks. Bears get used to finding food leftovers or sniffing around garbage, getting closer and closer to people and can become more unpredictable and aggressive and even hurt people with a risk to public safety. Consequently, these animals have to be frequently euthanized.
- In case of hiking or camping in an area where there might be bears, and due to their acute sense of smell, it is very important to keep food and other odor substances that could attract bears (toothpaste, soaps, kitchen stuff...), stored in the trunk of the car or hung in a bag at a height of 4 meters and away from the camping area.
- We must remove all generated garbage.
- If a bear is interested in our food and attacks, we will move away from it.
Sightseeing of Polar Bears
In the case of polar bears, considering their agility and how easy it is for them to run over any type of ground, together with their ability to swim, makes that extreme precautions are taken when you sight one.
Polar bears are very curious and potential predators, and as they don’t always have food at reach (as a consequence of the climate change in the arctic zone) this can cause nutritional stress increasing the risk when they are near humans. From the Alaska’s Wildlife Department it is recommended the following:
- We must not allow bears to come close to our vehicles or boats. To drive them off it is best to turn the engine on or honk, for example, always trying to make the less noise possible. If the animal persists, leave the place.
- Sometimes they may approach us (stopping frequently on their way) to see what we are. In that case we must stay still and transmit sureness; speak with a firm voice and let them know that we are humans and not a prey. They will usually draw back once they have checked on us.
- When observing polar bears while they are swimming, it is best not to get in their way, follow, chase or surround them. In the same way, boat engines must be in a neutral position.
- Whenever we find animals inside a burrow we must move away immediately. Bothering a female around its den can imply that she abandons its cubs and, in consequence, they can die.
