What could be better than seeing a real life Teddy Bear?* While they may be cuddly looking as cubs, Brown Bears can grow to truly staggering proportions. The largest subspecies live on the Kodiak archipelago off of Alaska, and males can weigh over 1,400lbs, and their shoulders, at five foot high, can be flush with yours. But don’t try to walk up to one to find out, take our word for it.
While Brown Bears may look like killers, and they absolutely can be, they’re actually omnivores. With the majority of their diet made up of vegetation, Brown Bears are opportunistic feeders who will take a meal wherever and whenever they can get it. About half of a Brown Bear’s life is spent in hibernation, during the wintertime when food is scarce. Females take advantage of their burrow time to give birth to vulnerable cubs before introducing them to the world in the spring.
Unlike most animals, you really, REALLY want a grizzly to see you before you see it. Hikers in grizzly country are advised to walk with bells to make their presence known. And presumably to make park wardens laugh at the fact that all the tourists are walking around like cows at pasture. The bears are intelligent and cautious enough to give humans a wide berth, but if you surprise a grizzly, or even worse, get between a mother and her cubs…
The rule of thumb when it comes to Brown Bear attacks is: curl up in the foetal position and PLAY DEAD. No matter what happens, and what might happen is likely going to be horrifying beyond words, do not move or make a sound. If the bear doesn’t perceive you as a threat, it will likely move on. Do NOT try to run or fight back, ever. For reference, Olympic Gold Medalist and fastest man in the world Usain Bolt sprints at just over 12 miles per hour, Brown Bears have been clocked at over 30!
*Teddy Bears were created after American President Theodore Roosevelt was satirized in a comic strip for refusing to shoot a restrained bear on a hunting trip. Unfortunately the black bear, as it was, was shot anyway. How’s that for a story to inspire the most cute and cuddly children’s toy ever?
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