What not to do in a bear attack? Push your slower friends down in an attempt to save yourself, says the National Park Service


While people all over the country visit parks and trips to the mountains feel themselves in horrific encounters with bears, the National Park Service (NPS) has offered some tips on what to do if you are face-to-face with the furry animals.
The first tip? “Please do not run away from bears or slow down your slower friends in an attempt to save yourself,” the NPS joked in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The best thing to keep yourself safe from a bear confrontation is to move slowly and sideways away so that you can keep an eye on the bear without tripping. Bears are not endangered as you move sideways, but like dogs, they will hunt fleeing animals.

“Do not climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees. Net Do not push a slower friend down (even if you think the friendship has run its course),” the NPS added. “Stay calm and remember that most bears don’t want to attack you; they just want to be left alone. Weren’t we all?”

Another tip is to identify yourself by making noise, specifically your voice, so that the bear does not confuse you to an animal and knows that you are human. While a curious bear may come closer or stand on its hind legs to examine and smell you, it is not a threat.

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While bear attacks are rare, their behavior can be unpredictable and an attack can lead to serious injuries or death, according to the NPS.

To avoid meeting a bear, walking and traveling in groups, bears do not allow access to your food and leave the area when you see a bear.

If you are attacked by a brown or grizzly bear, leave your backpack on and play dead by lying flat on your stomach with your hands behind your neck and legs spread. If the bear continues to attack you, fight back by hitting the bear in the face.

If you are attacked by a black bear, do not play dead, but instead try to escape to a safe place or if you can not, fight back with all available objects, according to NPS.⁣⁣

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