I just saw a massive fight between two grizzly bears. Why is it suggested that the best defence for humans is to ‘play dead’?
In: Earth Science
If you fight a grizzly without weapons, you lose. So the defense rules are something like
* have a weapon with you,
* don’t do anything that will get a fight started (don’t startle it, stare it down, threaten its cubs)
* don’t run, because they kind of instinctively chase and knock down animals that run from them, and they run about dog-speed so you’re probably not escaping
If the fight has started and you’re not armed, you’ve lost already. Now you’re just trying to get it to stop fucking you up before you die, and that means being boring. If you keep fighting, it will keep fucking you up until you stop. Bears don’t really think of us as food, so as long as it isn’t frantically hungry and you aren’t putting up a fight, there’s a fair chance it’ll go away after smacking you around a certain (hopefully nonlethal) amount.
Is this a cool option? No. Will you have an awesome story to tell? Not really. But people who know about grizzlies say this is our best bet.
[Edit: I should mention, the guides also say that if you’ve been taking a beating for a minute (which I’m guessing would feel like about sixteen weeks) and you’re pretty sure this animal means to kill you, then you might as well make a final effort. Get your knife or your car key or a pointy rock, and go for an eyeball or something. Just… don’t expect it to go well.]
Latest Answers