Are Black Bears Dangerous to Humans?

American black bears (Ursus americanus) are generally not an aggressive species of bear. They’re omnivores, meaning their diet includes plant material and meat. At times, Black Bear’s food sources have been documented to consist of 96% plant material. This makes them one of the least predacious of all carnivores. However unaggressive they might be most of the time, black bears are still dangerous. In fact, at least one person is killed somewhere in North America each year by a black bear.

From 2000 through 2023, Black Bears have killed thirty-one people in North America. That fact flies in the face of the other points we know about these animals.

According to Doctor Stephan Herrero in his book “Bear Attacks, Their Causes And Avoidance,” from 1900 through 1980, 90% of the fatal attacks by black bears on humans in the United States and Canada were carried out by a predatory animal. In other words, 90% of the time, when black bears attack people, it’s because they view them as a food source.

I looked at the research article titled “Fatal Attacks by American Black Bear on People” by Stephan Herrero, Andrew Higgins, James E. Cardoza, Laura I. Hajduk, and Todd S. Smith for more information.

According to the article, in the time period of 1900 through 2009, at least 63 people were killed by wild black bears in Canada, Alaska, and the continental United States. Of these fatal attacks, 86% occurred between 1960 and 2009. This shows a positive correlation between the growth of human populations and the incidence of black bear-related fatalities.

Again, according to the article, 88% of the fatal attacks carried out by black bears on humans between 1960 and 2009 were predatory and not defensive in nature and were carried out by lone male bears. This means that in the case of black bears, a mother bear with cubs is less dangerous than a predatory male bear.

However frightening these attacks are, they’re still rare

Fortunately for us, most of the time, Black bears avoid humans. There are between 339,000 and 465,000 Black Bears in the United States and between 396,000 and 476,000 in Canada. Source

When you consider the density of their population, it’s an easy leap to come to the assumption that there are millions of human/ black bear encounters each year. In the vast majority of these events, humans will not even realize they’ve had an interaction with a bear as the animal will slip away undetected into the forest.

Again, given how large their population is, it’s remarkable that there are not more Black Bear attacks on humans than there are. They are a rarity. Black Bears avoid humans the vast majority of the time.

What causes a black bear attack?

Predatory attacks

The largest percentage of predatory attacks are perpetrated in remote areas by lone male bears in August. In late summer, bears become hyperphagic as they pack on fat to see them through their hibernation period. An average adult black bear takes in 5,000 to 8000 calories per day in the springtime and summer.

Why do bears go through Hyperphagia?

The same bears consuming up to 8,000 calories per day earlier in the year are taking in around 20,000 calories a day in the late summer and fall to store up energy to use during their hibernation. Bears in the coldest climate regions hibernate for up to seven months out of the year. In warmer areas, hibernation may only last a few weeks or be non-existent.

In 88 percent of the cases of fatal Black Bear attacks on humans referenced in the “Fatal Attacks by American Black Bear on People” article, a lone male bear that was stocking up on calories pre-hibernation was the culprit.

Defensive attacks

This compares to 8% of the fatalities inflicted by a mother bear protecting her young and 0 incidents involving lone female bears.

How Formidable Is A Black Bear?

An average adult black bear can be 5-6 feet long and stand over 7 feet tall when it’s up on its hind legs. Additionally, an average adult black bear will weigh 200 to 600 pounds. The biggest black bear on record was shot in 1972. The bear was almost eight feet in length and weighed in at 902 pounds when dressed. You can safely estimate that it weighed around 1100 pounds before its demise.

A Black Bear can bend a car door in half to gain access to whatever food item it smells inside the car. That’s some brute physical power.

Despite their large size, black bears can sprint up to 35 mph. What’s more, black bear claws are designed for climbing. They’re excellent climbers and climb trees effortlessly. They’re large, powerful animals, but they are also quick and agile.

Black bears also have a powerful sense of smell. Their noses can smell at least seven times better than the nose of a Bloodhound. They can smell things like berries, food cooking on the grill or the campfire, and even the scent of a human footprint from at least a mile away.

Its strength, weight, length, height, claws, speed, and keen sense of smell make a black bear a formidable predator if it chooses to be.

What Should You Do If You Come In Contact With A Black Bear?

If the bear has not noticed you, attempt to quietly back out of the area.
If the bear does notice you, it may stand up on its hind legs to get a better view of you. You need to make your presence known and identify yourself as a human being. The best way to do this is to talk to it with a calm voice as you also make yourself look as tall and large as you can. Slowly move your arms as you move slowly away. It sounds hard to do but you need to remain calm. Keep a calm demeaner until the bear leaves the area. Most of the time, a black Bear will be running in the opposite direction at this point.
If the bear comes towards you, first of all, stand your ground. Never run away unless you have some safe shelter close by, the bear will catch you anyway. Running will only trigger the animal’s instinct to chase. You need to slowly back away but only when the bear is not coming towards you.
It’s a good idea to carry bear pepper spray where it’s quickly accessible in the densely populated bear country. Become familiar with its use before you need it. “Frontiersman brand also sells practice bear spray canisters.” Bear spray is effective 3 to five meters out. Don’t use it until the bear enters that zone, or it will be ineffective. Spray in a slightly downward trajectory. This will create a wall of mist that the bear will have to cross through to get to you. Spray in short bursts. Keep in mind that the canister only contains about eight seconds worth of spray. Also keep in mind that if the wind is blowing towards you, you will likely also be spraying yourself. Be prepared for that. Inhaling a little bear spray beats being eaten by a bear.
In a predatory Black Bear attack, paralyzing fear is your worst enemy. You have to be prepared to fight back. After all, your fighting for your life. Arm yourself with whatever weapon is at hand and do what you have to do. As the bear approaches you, act aggressively, make noise, throw rocks at it or whatever it takes to let the animal know your ready to fight back.
If the bear charges, stand your ground. Aim your punches and kicks for the bear’s face. If you have time to find a suitable weapon, club it over the head. If it has you on the ground, gouge at it’s eyes. In other words do whatever you can. The bear might decide that your not the easy meal that it hoped you would be and go away.

How to tell if a bear is stalking you

The description here will apply to a predatory Grizzly as well as a predatory Black Bear. Either scenario is a rarity, but someone will find themselves in this predicament every year. It’s important to understand what’s going on.

When you come upon a bear and startle it, if it doesn’t run away, you need to be able to read its body language. It may woof, hiss, grind its teeth or menacingly swat the ground. It may even make some bluff charges in your direction while stopping short of actually coming in contact with you. These are defensive reactions.

These threat displays seldom lead to an attack by a black bear if the human involved backs away to a safe distance and gives the bear sufficient space so that it doesn’t feel threatened anymore. On the other hand, when brown bears or a Grizzly bears attack, most of the time it is for defensive reasons. See Tips for Living in Grizzly Bear Country for advice on surviving a defensive bear attack.

A predatory bear, or in other words, one that has decided it would like to eat you, will not act like that. It will be completely unagitated. It will regard you with keen interest, with ears forward, and approach you in an unhurried manner. A predatory bear may trail you for a long distance before finally deciding to attack.

The motivation for a Black Bear attack is almost always predatory. The last-ditch action for surviving a defensive bear attack is to play dead. Do not play dead for an attacking Black Bear. Chances are your only making it easier for him to eat you.

Fatal Black Bear Attacks on Humans Since January 1st 2000

June 3, 2001-Kyle Harry, 18, was attacked at a campsite 16 miles east of Yellow Knife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
August 18, 2001-Adelia Maestras Trujillo, 93 A Black Bear broke through Trujillo’s window, gained access to her home at Mora, New Mexico, and killed her.
August 19, 2002- Ester Schwimmer, 5 months A Black Bear knocked Schwimmer from her stroller then carried her into the woods in its mouth. The infant died of head and neck injuries. This happened at Fallsburg, New York.
September 1, 2002- Christopher Bayduza, 31 Bayduza, was attacked and killed at a remote oil rigging site in northeastern British Columbia.
September 29, 2002-Maurice Malenfant, 77 Mr. Malenfant was attacked at his campsite in the Gaspe region of Quebec, Canada.
June 14, 2005-Merlyn Carter, 71 Carter was killed at his fishing camp at Nonacho Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada.
August 26, 2005-Harvey Robinson, 69 Robinson was attacked while picking plums north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
September 6, 2005-Jacqueline Perry, 30 Perry was killed, and her husband was seriously injured trying to defend her at a remote campsite near Missinaibi Lake Ontario, Canada.
April 13, 2006- Elora Petrasek, 6 A Black Bear attacked the Petrasek family near a campground in the Cherokee National Forest of Tennessee. Elenora was killed. Her mother and brother were also injured.
June 17, 2007-Samuel Evan Ives, 11 Samuel was drug from his tent in the middle of the night and killed by a Black Bear. This happened in American Fork canyon of Utah.
July 20, 2007-Robin Kochorek, 31 Kochorek, went missing while mountain biking. Searchers found her body the next day with a Black Bear standing guard over it. This happened at Panorama Mountain Resort in British Columbia.
May 30, 2008- Cécile Lavoie, 70 After Lavoie did not return to her cabin following a solo fishing outing, her husband went looking for her. He found a black bear dragging her body into the woods. Near La Sarre, Quebec Canada
August 7, 2009- Donna Munson, 74 Despite warnings from wildlife officials, Munson had been feeding bears at her Ouray Colorado residence for a decade. A black bear forced it’s way through a wire fence, killed and partially Munson.
June 2011-Bernice Adolph,72 Police dogs found Adolph’s remains after she was reported missing. There was evidence that she died of a bear attack. Conservation officers killed five bears suspected of being involved, and DNA tests confirmed that one of the dead bears killed Adolph. This happened near Lillooet, British Columbia.
July 25, 2011- Lana Hollingsworth, 61 A Black Bear attacked Hollingsworth as she walked her dog near a country club near Lakeside, Arizona. She died from her injuries nearly a month later.
June 6, 2013- Robert Weaver, 64 A black bear attacked Weaver as he walked back to his cabin near Delta Junction, Alaska. Troopers killed A 230 lb male black bear at the scene. Some of Weaver’s remains were found in the bear’s stomach.
May 7, 2014-Lorna Weafer, 36 A Black Bear attacked Weafer at the remote North Steepbank oilsands mine site as she walked back from the washroom. A preliminary investigation determined that the attack was predatory. This happened near Fort McMurray, Alberta.
September 21, 2014-Darsh Patel, 22 Patel, and four friends were hiking in the Apshawa Preserve when they met up with two other hikers that told them there was a bear nearby and suggested they turn around. They continued hiking and found the bear and took photos. They turned and began walking away while the aggressive bear followed them. The hikers then scattered in different directions, and when they regrouped, they found that Patel was missing. After searching for two hours, Authorities found Patel’s body. A black bear found in the vicinity was killed, and A necropsy on a black bear found in the area revealed Patel’s remains in its stomach. According to the State Department, this was the first fatal bear attack on a human in New Jersey on record.
May 10, 2015-Daniel Ward O’Connor, 27 A black bear killed Ward while he slept at his campsite. The following morning His fiancée, who slept in a nearby motorhome, discovered his body. Conservation officers later shot and killed the bear.
June 18, 2017-Patrick Cooper, 16 Patrick Cooper was running a trail race and was mauled by a black bear. The boy was found mauled to death. The park that the trail run took place closed as they searched for the bear responsible for the attack.
June 19, 2017-Erin Johnson, 27 Johnson, was killed while collecting soil samples for the Pogo Mine. Mine personnel later found and shot the bear.
September 1, 2019-Catherine Sweatt-Mueller, 62 In Rainy Lake, Ontario, Sweatt-Mueller left her cabin to check on her dogs and never returned. The police that was sent to find her confronted a large black bear by her body. The bear was killed on the spot.
July 20, 2020-Peter Franczak, 67 Franczak went blueberry picking and did not return. The Ontario police searched for him and found his body along with a black bear in the area. Police then killed the bear.
August 20, 2020-Stephanie Blais, 44 Stephanie was on a satellite phone talking with her father while camping with her family at their cabin on McKie Lake when a bear attacked her. Her husband was inside the cabin thirty meters away. Her husband attempted to spray the bear with pepper spray, but this only provoked the animal. He then grabbed a gun and shot and killed the bear. The investigation showed the attack was predatory in nature.
September 2020 -Patrick Madura, age 43 In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Madura was found dead near his campsite. A black bear was killed on-site because it was eating on the man’s remains. It was not clear at the time if the black bear had attacked and killed the man, but studies show that a bear that gets a taste of humans will associate them with being food, so the bear had to be killed for the safety of the park’s other campers. Authorities did not release the cause of death, or it is still under investigation. Source
April 30, 2021– Laney Malavolta, 39 Ms. Malavolta was killed while walking her dogs in the forest near her home at Trimble Colorado. A mother black bear and two cubs were found nearby and euthanized. Autopsy results confirmed that the mother bear and one of her cubs were responsible for the attack.
May 04, 2021– Name undisclosed, male age 59 The victim was killed while jogging near Waiparous Alberta
July 31, 2021– Name undisclosed, female age 26 The victim was working for a helicopter company, transporting tree planters in the Swan Hills area of Alberta.

Some things you can do to stay a little more safe

You can go in groups of more than 2 people. Over the last 100 years the vast majority of the people that were killed by Black Bears in predatory attacks were in groups of 2 or alone. You decrease the odds of being bothered by a bear when your in a large group.
Carry a canister of bear spray in a manner that you can get to it in a hurry if need be. It won’t do you much good if its somewhere inside your back pack. Also, make sure you know how to use the bear spray. None of the people who have been killed by black bears in the last 100 years were carrying bear spray.
Avoid hiking in the early morning and evening hours
If your headed into bear country leave your pets at home. Many fatal black bear attacks on humans begin with the bear scuffling with the victim’s dog.
When your in bear country keep your kids in site at all times
Keep a clean camp. Keeping a clean camp helps to prevent conflicts with bears that would otherwise happen. See Camping in bear country for advice on keeping a clean camp. Bears that associate food with people have the potential to become problem bears. In 38% of the fatal black bear attacks human food or edible garbage played a role to attract bears to the area where the attack took place.
In residential areas, don’t put out any excess pet food and don’t leave any garbage outside that a bear would consider to be edible.

Final thoughts

In summary, you are more likely to be killed by another human being than to be killed by a black bear. Black bear attacks are rare, but that doesn’t mean that the black bear species are not dangerous to humans.

Update : Black Bear Attacks Family

Man Survives Bear Attack