# Finding the right bear **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667 "2006-04-14T15:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/1 "2006-04-14T15:08:27Z")
A [bear attacked](http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/14/bear.attack.ap/index.html) a family in Benton, Tennessee and killed a child. > [@link](#): > > Forest Service employees, TWRA game agents and several hunters were searching for the bear in an area spanning several thousand acres. How will they know they find the same bear? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/2 "2006-04-14T15:17:16Z")
DNA evidence? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/3 "2006-04-14T15:36:56Z")
Bears don’t have a very high population density, usually if you find a bear in the same area, it’s probably the bear you were looking for. From [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear) Bears mostly live alone, except for mothers and their cubs, or males and females during mating season. Bears form temporary groups only when food is plentiful in a small area. Alaskan brown bears group in the same area to feed on salmon during the annual salmon runs, when the fish swim upriver to reach their spawning grounds. Giant pandas may also form small social groups, based on recent evidence, perhaps because bamboo is more concentrated than the patchy food resources of other bear species. Other bears may live alone but exist in a social network. A male and female may live in an overlapping home range, each defending their range from other bears of the same sex. Male young usually leave their mothers to live in other areas, but females often live in an area that overlaps that of their mother. This is why it’s sad when a “problem” bear gets moved to another location. If the bear is male, and it’s moved to another, more dominant bears territory it can result in the moved bear becoming quite injured. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/4 "2006-04-14T16:56:05Z")
The officials don’t want you to know, but they relie heavily on undercover agents and informants. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/5 "2006-04-14T18:05:58Z")
If they kill it, and they find the dead child’s remains in its stomach contents, they’ve definitely got the right bear. I know, that sounds heartless. I just wouldn’t doubt but that’s the actual process of elimination that happens in some cases. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/6 "2006-04-14T18:06:47Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > The officials don’t want you to know, but they relie heavily on undercover agents and informants. Yeah, they have an aging stooge named “Bennie the Weasel.” Used to be a real gentle guy, but then he hit the hard stuff and turned mean… ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/7 "2006-04-14T18:10:44Z")
I found this surprising too, when I’d see stories of a black bear being tracked through a trek of hundreds of miles. I asked, if people have a sighting, how do they know _which_ bear they’re seeing . . . Turns out it’s not an issue. It’s THE bear that’s in the area. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/8 "2006-04-14T18:23:25Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Bears don’t have a very high population density, usually if you find a bear in the same area, it’s probably the bear you were looking for. There are estimated to be 600 black bears in the 160,000 acre White River Refuge in neighboring Arkansas, so that’s 267 acres per bear. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/9 "2006-04-14T19:49:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > There are estimated to be 600 black bears in the 160,000 acre White River Refuge in neighboring Arkansas, so that’s 267 acres per bear. > Thanks. And at today’s real estate prices too! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/10 "2006-04-14T20:04:35Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > And at today’s real estate prices too! 😛 They can’t bear those interest rates. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/11 "2006-04-14T21:00:37Z")
When they find the bear that did it, instead of the “Uh-oh… humans…better start walking” look most bears have… they will find one with a look that says “LUNCH!” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/12 "2006-04-14T21:03:48Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > they will find one with a look that says “LUNCH!” I think Black Bears aren’t usually agressive. Grizzly Bears at the Zoo won’t leave trashing the back of their glass fronted habitat unless small children arrive. Then they amble up to the front and check that the glass is still there. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/13 "2006-04-14T21:08:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I think Black Bears aren’t usually agressive. Tell that to the bear that attacked me and my tent-mate, then came back in the morning and attacked another kid and ripped another tent to shreds. Had someone actually been in that last tent, he would have died. His sleeping bad and sleeping mat were sliced clean in two lengthwise. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/14 "2006-04-14T21:13:41Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Tell that to the bear that attacked me and my tent-mate, On the other hand, Mrs. Plant saw a Black Bear in Pennsalvania that just walked by her and the dogs. If they’d been between the bear and a trash can it may have been a different story. I would always bet my money on their being aggresive, just in case. Hope you all came out ok. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/15 "2006-04-14T21:19:22Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They can’t bear those interest rates. I can’t bear these puns. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/16 "2006-04-14T21:44:51Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > I can’t bear these puns. Aw c’mon. Just grin and, well you know. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/17 "2006-04-15T01:16:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I think Black Bears aren’t usually agressive. > Grizzly Bears at the Zoo won’t leave trashing the back of their glass fronted habitat unless small children arrive. Then they amble up to the front and check that the glass is still there. :eek: Actually it is somewhat of a myth that Black Bears are less dangerous than Grizzlies, they are more likely to prey upon humans. A close personal friend of mine was seriously mauled by a Black Bear about ten years ago. The Bear had already mauled a small boy, killed his mother, and killed a man that tried to help her before it ran into my friend and his group (on their way towards the screams to try and help). It pinned down my friend and proceeded to eat his leg despite being surrounded by a group of about ten companions, kicking and yelling and trying to get it off of him. He was finally saved by someone that showed up on the scene with a rifle. If I remember correctly the bear was quite small. During his recovery one of the people that he talked to a lot was a biologist that specialized in Black Bear behavior and attacks. I do not remember this mans name only that he was from British Columbia or I would look for a cite. According to this fellow Black Bears more often attack as a predator where as Grizzlies usually are reacting to perceived threat (thats why being noisy is an effective measure against Grizzlies, they hear you and leave). Black bears are in general much more tolerant of human activity, less shy than a grizzly; more likely perhaps to associate humans with food. Most encounters with black bears reveal rather diminutive (compared to a grizzly) bears that are obviously timmid and high tailing it into the bush to get away from you. Seeing these creatures it is hard to appreciate how dreadfully strong and fast they really are. Its not a huge leap for an experienced and hungry animal to recognize that slow humans away from their vehicles are an easy mark. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/18 "2006-04-15T02:32:27Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > Grizzlies usually are reacting to perceived threat Tell that to [Timothy Treadwell](http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200401/200401_blood_brothers_1.html). The sons of bitches, albeit hungry to stoke up for hibernation, just walked up and frigging _ate_ them. Perhaps we should just agree that all bears are, like, dangerous? ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/19 "2006-04-15T02:42:55Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Aw c’mon. Just grin and, well you know. No, I won’t bear it. They’re positively Ursine. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667/20 "2006-04-15T02:49:41Z")
OK boys and girls, hold this thought when you go to sleep tonight: Timothy Treadwell slept with a teddy bear. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-right-bear/352667.md?page=2)