Bear Attack

A bear attack is an attack by any mammal of the Ursidae family, on another animal, although it usually refers to bears attacking humans or domestic pets. Bear attacks are relatively rare, but frequent enough to be of concern for those who are in bear habitats. Bear attacks can be fatal and often hikers, hunters, fisherman, and others in bear country take precautions against bear attacks.

According to Taylor Y. Cardall MD and Peter Rosen MD, in their article "Grizzly Bear Attack" published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, there were 162 bear-inflicted injuries reported in the United States between 1900 and 1985. This constitutes approximately two reported bear-inflicted injuries per year. Likewise, Stephen Herrero, a Canadian biologist, reports that during the 1990s bears killed people in the U.S. and Canada, or around three people a year, as compared to the 15 people killed every year by dogs. Multiple reports remark that one is more likely to be struck by lightning than to be attacked by a bear when outdoors; around 90 people are killed by lightning each year. However, with the increase in habitat destruction, interactions between bears and humans have increased and one would expect bear attacks to likewise be on the rise.