If you go down to the woods today: How hikers can avoid meeting bears

Coming across a bear in the wild is a rare experience even for the most intrepid hikers exploring remote regions.

However, trekkers must always be aware of the possibility of an encounter, even in densely populated Europe, where occasional bear attacks make headlines.

There have been an increasing number of bear sightings and encounters in northern Italy's Trentino, home to an estimated 100 bears and a tourist was recently injured in an attack.

In Slovakia, several attacks triggered a heated debate about how to deal with bears, whose population numbers are estimated at 1,100 to 1,200.

A similar discussion is under way in Romania, where a tourist was killed in an attack in the Carpathian Mountains. By government estimates some 8,000 bears live there - the most anywhere in Europe aside from Russia.

You can also find brown bears in Spain, Croatia and Bulgaria, while thousands are living in the Nordic regions - Norway, Sweden and Finland.

All told, hikers are most likely to encounter a bear in its natural habitat, namely in the wild, where most people go trekking.

Humans need not be afraid - but they should show respect, says Tobias Knauf-Witzens, the top veterinarian of the Wilhelmina Zoo in Stuttgart. "You are hiking through their living room. You have to keep this in mind," he says.

Proceed respectfully and carefully in the wild, and to practice some certain fundamental behavioural rules, he says.

Make noise to give the bear a chance to get away

It is best to go hiking in small groups. Make noise to draw attention to yourselves, says the South Tyrol Office of Wildlife Management in Bolsano. If there is a bear nearby, the noise will warn it that people are coming and give it a chance to withdraw - which bears do, as a rule.

So as a group, keep chatting together, sing songs and use your hiking stick to bang rocks or tree trunks. Don't go overboard with the whooping and hollering, says the office on its online advice page. "This creates unnecessary disquiet in nature."

Also, take special care when you're hiking along creeks and streams, experts at the South Tyrol Land Management Office says. This is because the babbling sound of the water can often drown out any sounds made by hikers, meaning a bear might not hear people as they approach.

Always keep your dog on a leash. If a dog runs freely through the woods, they might just cause an involuntary encounter with a bear. "The most important thing is not to scare the bear," veterinarian Knauf-Witzens says. What you should try to do is draw attention to yourself so that the animal notices you early on, and itsn't suddenly be confronted with a group of people when turning a corner.

That is most likely what happened to the woman who was killed while hiking in Romania, says Knauf-Witzens. The bear probably did not notice when she approached. When you come directly in front of a bear, within its attacking range, then it might well attack.

Bells on your backpack?

"The bear mainly orients itself through its sense of smell and hearing," Knauf-Witzens notes. By comparison, the animals have relatively poor eyesight.

One popular noise-making tip is to attach a tiny bell to your backpack or hiking boots. But the Tyrol Land Management Office has another take on that. Out in mountainous areas, bells are not suitable because a bear might think of grazing animals such as cattle and so possibly connect the sound with something to hunt. In addition, specially made bells to alert bears often actually ring at a frequency similar to that of birdsong and other naturally occurring sounds, so may not adequately warn the bear.

In doubt, store your food away from your tent

Because bears have a good sense of smell, one rule applies above all to camping: Don‘t store your food in your tent. Make sure you put it elsewhere, such as hanging it up in a tree several metres away.

"This advice I would particularly give in North America," says Knauf-Witzens. Otherwise you might find an uninvited and potentially dangerous visit in the form of a grizzly searching for something to eat. A good 30,000 grizzly bears inhabit Alaska, with a further 16,000 in Canada and around 1,000 in the lower United States.

Especially with regard to longer trekking tours through areas with bear populations, experts recommend you consult local guides for advice. "They are best informed and also know whether and where there could be problems," he says.

When you meet a bear - how to react?

The best-case scenario is that you see a bear from a long way away - so you can enjoy this natural event. How much distance? A rough estimate given by the South Tyrol Wildlife Management Office is more than 100 metres - by no means should a hiker try to approach any closer.

After enjoying the moment, the hiker might then wonder whether it is better to proceed onward, or turn around and go back? You might think you can find a way to get around the animal.

If the bear is on the path you want to take, you can get the bear's attention by making some noise. "When it hears the noise, the bear will look up and watch for awhile," says Knauf-Witzens. "It will likely then head into the woods."

Bear in mind that usually, people do not make it to the list of normal prey for a bear.

But if the bear comes closer, do not make any sudden movements or run away. "If you run, this can trigger a reflex with the bear and it will likely chase after you. And a bear is faster than a human, make no mistake about it."

Instead, you should speak in a quiet voice and stretch out to make your body look larger, so that the bear recognizes you are a human being.

At the same time, you should slowly walk backwards in order to put some distance between yourself and the bear.

If a bear does attack you and you can‘t get away, then according to Knauf-Witzens you have only one recourse: Lie face-down on the ground, clasp your hands behind your head to protect your neck. And hope the bear loses interest in you.