why does playing dead work to avoid getting attacked by brown bears? Wouldn’t they want to eat you more if they thought you were dead and thus couldn’t fight back?
In: Biology
Short answer: it doesn’t.
Long answer: when you get in contact with a wild grizzly bear in the lower 48, your only defence is bear spray. Exceptions can be made for brown bears in national parks who have been conditioned to be around humans.
How to prevent attacks: don’t bring food with you in the wilderness, and if you do, make sure it’s packed away very far from your tent. Always keep your dog on a leash. Always carry bear spray. Scream and be loud, but your two hundred pound body is not likely to scare a bear that’s already chosen you as food.
While brown bear attacks are rare (~1/ year in the lower 48), they can happen when bears are hungry, if they are old, and just because they’re giant multi hundred pound carnivores.
This is different than American black bears, which likely will run away when they see you.
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