The encounter with a bear in the forest can be critically dangerous for a tourist, especially in the Carpathian region of Ukraine. Experts explain how to behave correctly to avoid an animal attack.
What to do if you see a bear / © Unsplash
In summer, during walks in the forest or other protected areas, it might happen that a bear appears on your path. This is a very dangerous situation, and you need to know how to act in such a case.
Ihor Antakhovych, director of the Lviv Ecological-Natural Center, told 24 Travel what to do if you encounter a bear.
What to do if a bear is on your path
In Ukraine, bears live in the wild in the Carpathian region – specifically, in the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zakarpattia oblasts. If during a hike or rest in the forest you come across large, distinctively shaped tracks and significant droppings, bears are likely nearby.
The probability of encountering a bear increases in late summer and autumn when bears search for food to gain more fat for winter.
“In autumn, when they are gaining fat to hibernate, they try to eat as much as possible, looking for berries and fruits. They are less cautious then, and thus may cross paths with people who are also gathering berries in the forest. There is a higher chance of an encounter then,” says Ihor Antakhovych.
There is also a high probability of encountering a bear in late winter when they emerge from hibernation hungry and may approach human dwellings, gardens, garbage dumps, or animal carcasses.
Bears themselves never seek contact with people. It happens accidentally when the animal is searching for food. Many people still believe that you can scare away a bear in the forest by making noise. This is not true.
You can avoid a bear by sticking exclusively to marked tourist trails, having a good map, and using official information sources for travelers.
“I remind you again that when we go into nature, we are visiting the animals that live there. We are guests in this territory, not the owners. Therefore, we must behave in a way that does not disturb the hosts unnecessarily,” says the specialist.
If you see a bear in front of you, the main task is to do everything possible to ensure the bear does not notice you. Stop, keep the animal in sight, and retreat as carefully as possible. If the bear has noticed you, you should only run.
Under no circumstances should you approach a wild bear to get a closer look. Also, do not film it or take pictures. Never approach bear cubs.
Approaching or trying to pet bear cubs is a 100% threat to life. Their mother is always nearby, ready to attack you for trying to get close to her cubs. In case of the slightest threat, the mother bear will mercilessly attack people.
Tourists and Ukrainians living in bear habitats should know that they primarily feed on plant-based food – roots and berries. Bears cause significant noise in thickets.
If, while in the forest, you hear distinct heavy sounds in the undergrowth, much louder than human footsteps, you must immediately stop, determine the direction of the noise, and change your route in the opposite direction to avoid a dangerous encounter with a bear.
Bears: latest news
We remind you that, contrary to a common myth, bears do not enter a classic hibernation in winter but rather a state of torpor caused by a lack of food. Unlike small mammals, whose bodies slow down by 90–99% and temperature drops almost to zero, bears undergo less radical changes: their temperature drops only by 8–12 °F, and their heart rate slows by about 77%.
During this period, they do not eat or drink, living off their fat reserves, but they maintain muscle strength, move slightly to avoid bedsores, and females even give birth to cubs.
The duration of torpor varies from 2 to 7 months and depends on the climate. However, bears in captivity, pandas, and polar bears, except for pregnant females, do not hibernate at all.
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