If you encounter a bear that seems unaware of your presence, you should quietly and slowly move away from the bear, while keeping the animal in sight at all times for any sign of behaviour change, or any indication that the bear has become aware of your presence. Try to leave the area the way you came, or if this is not possible, make a wide detour to stay as far as possible from the bear.

If you cannot avoid a bear, calmly advise it of your presence, by talking to the animal slowly and calmly, waving your arms and moving away, preferrably upwind.

A surprised bear will perceive you as a threat and the animal may therefore become defensive, especially when cubs or food are involved. You need to convince the bear that you are not a threat nor do you intend to invade its personal space. Do not appear threatening and talk to the animal in a calm yet firm voice. Retreat slowly, while keeping your eyes on the bear. Do not turn your back on it. Moving away will usually calm the bear down.

In the event the bear approaches you however, you must stop immediately and start talking to the bear again in a calm, slow and firm voice. Do not scream or throw anything at the bear as it may trigger an attack. Once the bear stops, resume moving slowly away.

If an attack appears imminent: Do not run, do not jump in the water. Bears can run at over 40km/h and they do swim quite well. If this is a grizzly bear, you may want to climb a tall tree. Grizzly bear claws are not designed to climb trees and they therefore rarely do so. They can however reach very far once stretched out. If no tall and climbable tree is nearby, if this is a black bear (which can very easily climb trees), or if you are unsure about the bear species, collect yourself and be ready to face the attack.

In the unlikely event of an attack: Get down on the ground on your stomach, protecting your vital organs and your face, with your hands locked behind your neck. If you have a backpack, it will provide extra protection. Do not scream or struggle as you are trying to convince the bear that you are dead. Remain still and wait for the bear to leave once the attack has stopped. If the bear keeps biting you, it is now becoming predatory and you should therefore now fight it back as hard as you can, aiming at the nose and eyes! There was a case of a woman in Yellowstone a few years ago who escaped an attack unharmed by simply hitting the bear on the nose with her camera!

An approaching bear may simply be curious, used to humans, food conditioned, attempting to assert dominance, or more rarely, be predatory. You should stop, and start talking to the bear in a calm and firm voice, while trying to slowly move away. Always keep your eyes on the bear to assess its behaviour. The bear at this point should have lost interest in you.

If the bear is still approaching, the animal is being predatory and your response should dramatically change. You now need to act aggressively. If you are with a group, get close together. Wave your arms and/or climb on a rock or log to look as tall as possible, shout at the bear, stare in its eyes, show your teeth, speak in a loud an aggressive manner. Stamp your feet while taking a couple of steps towards the bear. Threaten the bear with whatever you have, may it be a stick or your camera (taking photos at this point is not recommended). The bear at this point should stop.

If an attack appears imminent: Do not run, do not jump in the water. If this is a grizzly bear, you may want to climb a tall tree. If no tall and climbable tree is nearby, or if this is a black bear (which can very easily climb trees), or if you are unsure about the bear species, collect yourself and be ready to face the attack.

In the unlikely event of an attack: Fight the bear as hard as you can, with whatever you have, aiming at the nose and eyes, with the clear goal to hurt the animal.

A stalking bear is acting in a predatory way, in the sense that it may see you as a meal. This type of occurrence is extremely rare. Act aggressively. If you are with a group, get close together. Wave your arms and/or climb on a rock or log to look as tall as possible, shout at the bear, stare in its eyes, show your teeth, speak in a loud and aggressive manner. Stamp your feet while taking a couple of steps towards the bear. Threaten the bear with whatever you have.

If an attack appears imminent: Do not run, do not jump in the water. If this is a grizzly bear, you may want to climb a tall tree. If no tall and climbable tree is nearby, if this is a black bear (which can very easily climb trees), or if you are unsure about the bear species, collect yourself and be ready to face the attack.

In the unlikely event of an attack: Fight the bear as hard as you can, with whatever you have, aiming at the nose and eyes, with the clear goal to hurt the animal.

Polar bears will only be encountered in the far arctic and are opportunistic predators. In other words, they will see humans as food. The only real method of defense against polar bears is a firearm. This is why your Wilderness Instructors carry firearms on all expeditions in polar bear habitat.