"It must be stressed that negative conditioning should aid, but not be a substitute for preventive measures that eliminate or reduce the potential for human-bear conflicts. Repellents and deterrents should be considered a second line of defense against bear problems."(2)

"Bear Be Gone (Smells and looks like a trashcan, but releases pepper spray when activated)"(3)

"If we observe bears interacting with each other, we can see that they communicate messages through their body posture, vocalizations and odour signals. If wildlife managers use some of these forms of communication in conjunction with non-lethal tools, then they can begin to communicate with bears on a level they can understand and ultimately condition or teach bears to live by our rules."(3)

"The wildlife manager’s body posture and tone of voice can make it perfectly clear to the bear that it is not welcome in an area."(4)

"According to Dr. Lynn Rogers, a renowned black bear biologist, we must also learn to interpret the bear’s behaviour in terms of their fear as opposed to ours. If a bear blows (expels air loudly) or slaps the ground, it is displaying a nervous reaction. The bear is apprehensive; it is not displaying a threatening behaviour or an indicating an impending attack."(4)

"[Searles’] approach is effective because the bear is being taught to associate the ‘negative’ conditioning with human ‘dominance’. We are actually reinstilling the bear’s natural fear of humans and teaching it to respect the natural hierarchy – with humans at the top."(5)

"Searles emphasizes that whenever human safety is in immediate danger, be it a member of the community or an officer at the scene, the bear must be destroyed (humanely and efficiently) before a human life is endangered."(5)

"Again, it is important to note that the approaches suggested in this document have only been used on black bears, not grizzly bears. Although we believe the non-lethal approach is also applicable to grizzly bears, we recommend caution. Conduct all hazing actions on grizzly bears from vehicle or vehicle side."(5)

"If a bear appears to be stalking a person or someone’s pets; approaches or circles in a direct, stiff-legged gait; shadows a person for some distance; attempts to get into someone’s tent at night (when there is no food available); or you just get a bad feeling from a bear - take it very seriously. If a person finds themselves suddenly being attacked by a grizzly bear without cubs or a black bear, where the animal does not appear to be defending an animal carcass – it is recommended that they fight back with everything they have."(5-6)

"For most repellents that physically contact an animal; accuracy, range and impact appear to be the critical components. Where projectiles are used, animals should be shot in the rump to decrease the chance of an inaccurate shot damaging vital organs. Use caution as there is a possibility of penetration when rubber slugs are used at a distance less than 25 meters."(6)

"It is important that non-lethal tools are used only when it is safe to do so. Bears hit with repellents and deterrents must have a safe avenue for escape left open to them."(6)

"The person delivering the stimuli MUST assume the position of ‘alpha’ bear in the negative conditioning incident. His body posture and voice MUST be consistent with the negative message being delivered by the repellents and deterrents, which are simply an extension of the person. Do NOT use non-lethal tools in a passive manner."(6)

"cubs should not be hit with rubber bullets; 12 gauge rubber slugs will not be used at ranges under 22 meters, bean bags are preferred at closed range"(7)

Relocated bears: "It is important that the bear is released in its original territory, but away from human settlement. At the release site, the bear should be aggressively hazed and harassed before and during its release."(7)


"When a bear enters a person's home or their vehicle, it is essentially entering their den. This is totally unacceptable bear behaviour and should never be tolerated by humans. A bear would never enter another bear's den."(8)

"The people have behaved submissively and the bear has reacted to their body language and vocalizations accordingly."(8)

""A person’s house and car, reek of human presence - make no mistake about it, the bear knows it has invaded a human’s 'den'", says Searles."(8)

"When you are hiking in the backcountry, however, you are in the bear's territory. Now you must be respectful of the bear’s backyard"(8)

If you encounter a bear in the backcountry: "Walk away, facing the bear and speaking quietly. Do not look directly into the bear’s eyes. Act passively. Let the bear know you are not a threat. If the bear approaches - wave arms and talk louder, so the bear can identify you as human. Leave the area but do not run - running can invoke a chase. If the bear becomes aggressive, do not play dead (unless you have encountered a mother grizzly defending her young – in this case, you may have no other recourse). The bear may bluff charge (particularly a mother black bear with cubs) - there is no need to panic immediately. Try to escape to a secure building or car."(8)

"If, in the rare case, a bear attacks, try to fight back with any weapon you can find including stones and branches. Use extreme caution with grizzly bears that have cubs (this is when playing dead is recommended) and always back away from an animal defending a carcass –removing yourself as a potential threat. Pepper spray can be very effective when sprayed directly in the bear's face at close range."(8)

"Searles stresses it is NOT the fear of pain from rubber bullets that elicits the desired result. That would be a human assumption. "Bears do not react to pain the way you and I do", says Searles. "It’s that we show our dominance and command respect. Through the use of non-lethal tools, my voice can reach out and touch the bear. He thinks I'm God, the biggest baddest bear around, because I've shown him who is boss." The point is, it's not the pain of the rubber bullet hitting the bear’s hindquarter that makes negative conditioning work. It’s the fact that the bear can actually feel the wildlife manager’s voice hitting him."(10)

"When black bears are hesitant or nervous near people, they may lunge and explosively expel air while slapping the ground or surrounding vegetation. Researcher, Dr. Lynn Rogers and others, have witnessed this startling and sometimes frightening display many times. Never however, during 30 years of study, has this display been followed by an attack. Rogers says it means the bear is nervous and apprehensive."(11)

"Bears have attacked and injured or killed people. In B.C., from 1960-1997, there were 22 attacks by black bears and 49 by grizzlies leading to human injury or death. (Herrero and Higgins 1998). Most of these attacks were by adult female grizzly bears. The most serious or fatal grizzly bear incidents seemed to involve the bear being startled at close range (<50m). Attacks by black bears are usually by males (50% adult/50%sub-adults) and in most cases the motivation was possible predation. Caution is always recommended – never ignore obvious warning signs."(11)

Common Misconceptions:
"A sow and her cubs: Although a mother grizzly bear will aggressively defend her cubs, mother black bears rarely defend their cubs. Getting in between a mother black bear and her cubs, is not nearly as dangerous as we once believed. The black bear mother will simply tree her cubs for safety.

Treed Bears: If a bear climbs a tree, it is acting submissively - it is trying to get out of an uncomfortable situation. Treed bears are not a threat to human safety. The treed bear will come down and leave once human activity settles down.

Bears on the Porch or Balcony: Again, we don't give bears enough credit - they are far smarter than we’d like to admit. If a bear found its way up onto someone's balcony to eat garbage, it can also find its way down again. When properly motivated, it can do it in two seconds flat. We just need to do a better job of communicating that message to the bear. The bear needs to know its behaviour is inappropriate and it will not be tolerated. Through the use of aggressive non-lethal tactics, a wildlife manager can easily and quickly deliver that message to the bear."(12)

"All dogs should be trained not to chase or harass other non-dangerous wildlife."(14)

"When a community electric fences their landfill and installs bear-proof waste containers, bears are displaced from many of their calorie-rich garbage sources. Normally after access to human garbage is eliminated, the number of bears that get into trouble goes up dramatically, resulting in a higher than average rate of destruction. Use of non-lethal bear management can be successfully used to offset these tendencies, as it was in Whistler and Mammoth. Often hiring a wildlife liaison officer for a period of one to two years is recommended to aid in educating the community and facilitating an understanding of the transition period."(19)

In Whistler, since the implementation of non-lethal control, "The number of nuisance bears destroyed decreased by 30 percent during 1999 and 95% in 2000 to date."(19)

Common Attractants of bears to residential areas include, "improperly stored garbage, bird feeders, dirty barbecues, smelly compost, pet food stored outdoors, backyard fruit trees, and bee hives"(20)

JJWBS advocates adoption of a policy whereby, "Persons with bear attractants on their properties must be heavily fined – a zero tolerance policy should be our ultimate goal."(20)