Originally Posted By: Ken
"A big revelation to me was how reluctant black bear mothers are to defend their cubs against people, even when the family is cornered in a den and I'm trying to stick the mother with a needle to tranquilize her. Defense of cubs is more a grizzly bear trait. There is no record of anyone being killed by a mother black bear defending her cubs, and attacks are very rare. We routinely capture black bear cubs in the presence of mothers and have never been attacked. "

http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/b...lack-bears.html


I'm not buying this one about Momma bear not defending her cubs. This bear support organization's anecdotal experience seems to be different than what the average hiker might encounter - accidentally finding yourself on a trail between a Momma Bear and her cubs. It's basic animal instinct and I would be very concerned in that situation. A google search will find recent examples of Momma bear attacking a human who came between her and her cubs. Black bear attacks are rare, but they shouldn't give out reassuring advice that defies common sense.