Humans and bears - Wild encounters

[brotherbear]

Fortress of the Grizzly by Dan Wakeman and Wendy Shymanski - The Man who Talks to Grizzlies: ...continued...

I borrowed one effective technique for calming a bear from Monty Roberts' book 'The Man Who Listens to Horses'. If a horse gets nervous around Monty, he turns his back to the animal. This shows a trust that the horse recognizes.

One time a male grizzly was staring at me from about 40 feet away. I could tell that he was becoming agitated by my presence, and suddenly I thought, "I know. I'll turn my back like in that book." For ten seconds I stared out at the sea, knowing that an agitated male grizzly was right behind me. I couldn't actually hear the bear. I listened instead to the wavelets on the shore and the song of hermit thrushes. When I finally turned around, the bear had returned to munching grass and had clearly decided that I was not a threat. Reply