A grizzly bear fishes along a river in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park near Bella Coola, B.C., in 2010. A study in Alaska found that bear spray successfully stopped bears’ undesirable behaviour 92 per cent of the time when used on grizzly bears, 90 per cent for black bears, and 100 per cent for polar bears.Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press
Trina Moyles’s most recent book is Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival.
On June 24, a cellphone video of a grizzly bear charging and lunging repeatedly at a woman’s leashed dog in Kananaskis, Alta., went viral. The woman managed to keep hold of her dog, back up slowly, and film the grizzly circling her. She used her voice as a deterrent, shouting, even growling at the grizzly. It momentarily worked: the bear leapt back, but once again, dropped its head and pursued the dog. “Enough!” she roared. Eventually, after the woman passed through a gate, and gained some distance from the grizzly, the video cuts off.
While the woman and her dog emerged from the encounter physically unharmed, the fate of the grizzly bear is far less certain. Some experts worry it could become the first grizzly to be euthanized in Kananaskis Country since 2015.
The original TikTok video has been viewed more than 30 million times and was reposted by major news outlets. This is part of a growing – and highly problematic – trend of people filming and monetizing online videos of their close encounters with carnivore species, Kim Titchener, a bear safety educator from Canmore, Alta., says.
“It’s click bait,” she told me. “People are interpreting these videos without the context of what happened before the record button was pressed.”
As viewers, we can’t see the events that lead up to what plays out in these videos. We don’t know whether or not the dog had been off leash – and even so, a recent study shows that the presence of a dog, even when leashed, can trigger a defensive reaction – or if the bear was defending cubs, or feeling pressured for space. Nor do we know whether or not the individual attempted to get closer to the bear, which could have triggered an aggressive reaction. The woman, later identifying herself as “Jessie the Grizzly Girl,” claims she was just walking her dog before work and filmed the grizzly as “evidence” of why she’d be late. She admitted that “if there’s anything to learn from this it’s to not become complacent.”
We do know that, every year, there’s a higher number of people recreating in bear country, and as a result, a rising number of human-bear encounters, says Ms. Titchener.
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The rise in social media “hasn’t been good for the bears,” says Ryan Phinney, a human-wildlife specialist with more than 20 years of experience working to manage bear populations in Canada.
“We have seen the major impacts that social media has had on trails and hidden gems, drawing thousands of visitors to an area,” Mr. Phinney says, including the area where the bear encounter in the viral video took place. An increase in tourism and recreation, no doubt, puts added pressures on all wildlife species, including grizzly bears. “Bears are being harassed and followed morning to night by people for videos and pictures,” he says. “They essentially have to accept that there will be humans next to them in the ditches, on the trails, in the alpine, and backcountry.” Mr. Phinney says human-bear conflict is often a result of “bad human behaviour” rather than that of the bears.
Bear safety awareness and education is struggling to keep pace with the growing number of people moving into the human-bear interface. Hikers hit the trails wearing “flip flops” and “bear bells on their backpacks” thinking they’re prepared, when “they’re really not,” says Ms. Titchener.
A sign warning of a bear in the area is shown in Squamish, B.C., in 2022.Amy Smart/The Canadian Press
You don’t need to look farther than the viral reels for proof. From the most recent encounter, we realize that the individual isn’t carrying a canister of bear spray. Yes, it’s easy to get complacent and make mistakes, especially for those of us living day-to-day in bear country. But if you’re going to post a video – and profit from it – then there should be some accountability.
And this isn’t an isolated incident. There’s been a string of recent human-bear conflicts in North America where people haven’t been carrying bear spray, a potent aerosol deterrent containing “capsaicinoids” derived from hot chili peppers, designed to stop aggressive bear behaviour.
One, or two, or several blasts from six to 12 metres away, while aiming low at the bear’s face, sprays an orange fan of chemicals into their eyes, nose, and lungs. (If you’ve ever accidentally deployed bear spray, like me, you’ll know just how painful this is.) It’s usually enough to distract, or deter a bear’s behaviour, and give people the opportunity to get away.
Research shows that it works. Like, really, really effectively.
A study in Alaska led by U.S. human-bear conflict specialist, Tom Smith, found that bear spray successfully stopped bears’ undesirable behaviour 92 per cent of the time when used on grizzly bears, 90 per cent for black bears, and 100 per cent for polar bears. Nearly 100 per cent of individuals carrying bear spray emerged from close-range encounters uninjured. Dr. Smith has compared carrying bear spray to “wearing a seat belt.” He thinks it should be mandatory in parks.
Compared to a firearm, it’s much faster to deploy, and far more effective in a close-range encounter. At $45 to $85, it’s relatively inexpensive and widely available at hardware or outdoor recreation stores. Oh, and it doesn’t require a license.
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But it’s not enough to just carry a can of bear spray, experts say. In defensive and predatory bear attacks, you could have only milliseconds to react. Ms. Titchener recommends wearing bear spray on your body, using a chest, or waist holster. Practice, she says, taking it out and taking off the safety. That “muscle memory” in a real encounter is really important, Mr. Phinney agrees, when adrenalin can take over. He encourages people to read bear-safety literature, take a bear-spray course or workshop, and practice with an inert can of spray.
Bear spray isn’t a replacement for situational awareness. Being in bear country means eliminating food or waste attractants. It means leaving your dog at home, or at the very least, leashing it. Making noise before a corner, on a trail, to avoid surprises. It means watching and listening for signs of bear activity – no ear buds. It means taking note of the wind direction – if it’s coming at you, “whatever’s in front of you is not going to have a good chance to smell you,” says Ms. Titchener. Spraying into the wind will also reduce its range, and bring it back to you, so try to angle your position to get more spray on the bear (and less on you).
Bear attacks are extremely rare. You have a much higher chance of being in a vehicle collision, driving to the trailhead, than you do being mauled by a bear. And yet, being prepared could save your life. Ms. Titchener points to a case where a woman, in the midst of an attack, grabbed the bear spray from her chest holster and sprayed the bear in the face – and the bear stopped.
“I truly believe, and so does she, that it saved her life,” Ms. Titchener says. “If we can get more people carrying bear spray, making noise, travelling in groups, and being aware of their surroundings, we could actually start to see a drop in the number of bad encounters – and bad videos.”
If you see a bear, even if it isn’t showing aggression, put down your phone and take out your bear spray.
TikTok won’t save your life, but a can of bear spray just might.