Bear encounters in Massachusetts: what to expect and how to survive

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Following the South Hadley man who was attacked by a bear in Wyoming, we spoke with bear biologists who told us mother grizzly bears are the most dangerous bears, and luckily here in western Mass we only see black bears. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use caution when going into the woods, no matter what state you’re in.

Some honeymooners opt for a beach vacation, others a European tour, but South Hadley resident Shayne Patrick Burke and his new wife Chloe opted to ring in their marriage with a little nature, and it seems they may have gotten a larger taste of wildlife than they signed up for. During their honeymoon hike, the couple split up and while apart, Shayne was trying to find a particular owl, but what he found was much grislier.

“I was moving. I was just like, just watching my GPS,” Shayne recalled.

When he looked up, he was face to face with a grizzly cub and the mama bear was not far behind.

“She went towards my head, but I kept my hands interlocked like this and just like, protected my arteries and my neck. She bit down and got my left wrist and my right hand. I heard a pop, and at that point in my head I was like, all right, she’s, she’s in my skull.

It turns out it wasn’t his skull but instead a can of bear spray. After a taste of that, the mama bear ran off.”

Western Mass News spoke with bear biologist and founder of Kilham Bear Center in New Hampshire Ben Kilham. He told us this was a case of wrong place at the wrong time.

“He did what he could. They say if a bear attacks, and that one did, with a grizzly bear lay down and cover your neck.”

According to Kilham, mama grizzlies are the most dangerous type of bear there is, and luckily there are no grizzlies anywhere near us here in western Mass or across New England, but we do have black bears. Kilham said large males are the type you want to look out for, but more often than not, they’ll give you a warning called a bluff charge, and that’s why Kilham said it’s very important to understand how bears communicate before stepping into the forest.

“They signal everything that they are up to and they have to because they interact with other bears as strangers so they signal their intention and responded they are quite honestly very easy to read if you have that knowledge.”

While grizzly bear attacks happen several times a year, black bear biologist Dave Wattles told us it is very unlikely to be attacked by a black bear.

“It’s important to know the difference between the temperament and the nature of a black bear and a grizzly bear. A grizzly bear is a much larger, much more inherently much more aggressive animal than the black bear.”

In fact Wattles told us we’re very fortunate here in Massachusetts that we have never had someone seriously injured by a black bear but it is still a possibility. Which is why MassWildlife urges the public not to keep any unsecure food in your yard such as bird feeders, trash or even chickens.

Now, if you do come in contact with a bear, it’s important to talk slowly and stand your ground and never run. If you see the bear before it sees you, keep your distance, make noise so you don’t startle them and back away slowly. As for Burke, Shayne only spent a single night in the hospital, though his recovery will last for months.

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