Black Bear spotted in Hickory NC, but the Safety Tips May be More Dangerous!

On Tuesday afternoon, a local Hickory, NC couple spotted a black bear roaming around in their backyard. The couples' children were playing in a neighbor's yard, but they, too, saw the bear and ran quickly into the house. The bear wasn't threatening. There was no damage and no one was injured.

The couple lives in the area of McDonald Parkway and Springs Road. There was another bear sighting later that evening in the Highland Avenue area off of McDonald Parkway, as well.

While bear sightings are rare in Hickory, NC, it's still bear territory, and we get a sighting or 3 every year.

However, you may want to carefully consider the tips below supplied by the Center for Wildlife Information:

1. Remain calm and avoid sudden movements. (Yeah, Right!)
2. Give the bear plenty of room, allowing it to continue its activities undisturbed. (Oh, look at the nice bear. Hey, let's pet it! Or in other words, it can have ALL the room it wants!)
   
3. If you spot a bear and the bear is unaware of you, detour quickly and quietly away. (Avoid sudden movements in #1, now we're supposed to 'detour quickly.' BTW, detouring quickly IS gonna happen anyway!)
   
4. If spotted by a bear, try to get its attention while it is a good distance away. Help the bear recognize you are human by talking to it in a normal voice or waving your arms. (Okay, first it's "Do not disturb the bear." Now, we're supposed to have a freaking conversation with it!! Oh, and waving your arms IS a sudden movement!)
5. Some bears will bluff their way out of a threatening situation by charging, then veering off or stopping abruptly at the last second. Bear experts generally recommend standing still until the bear stops and then slowly backing away. (I don't care who you are. That's funny right there!)
   
6. Never run from a bear. Running may elicit a chase from an otherwise non-aggressive bear, and since they can run faster than 30 mph, you have no chance of outrunning them. (I don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than my buddy!)
   
7. Never feed or toss food to a bear. (Unless you can toss your buddy!)
   
8. Climbing a tree to avoid bears is popular advice but not practical in many circumstances. All black bears, grizzly cubs and some adult grizzlies can climb trees. (TOSS YOUR BUDDY!)
   
9. Throw something onto the ground (like a camera) (or your buddy!) if the bear pursues you, as this may distract it and allow you to escape. (The camera is a good idea. That way, the bear will have some great photos of the silly human running like crazy and screaming like a banshee!)

All in Fun!!!

Copyright© 2009 Black Bear spotted in Hickory NC, but the Safety Tips May be More Dangerous! by Roger A. Johnson