I live in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, where there is apparently a bear problem. I've never actually for sure seen one, but I've seen news paper articles about it. But most of all - every other time I go for a walk I keep sensing bears. Sometimes my instincts are certain about it, sometimes it feels like a false alarm, sometimes I feel like I can vaguely sense their location and even danger level, sometimes I know it's my mind playing tricks on me, and sometimes I'm not sure. Fear can do funny things to the mind, especially when you live in a city with a bear problem.
Hmm, well, if you don't "attack" them they won't "attack" you. Is your city a big place (or a small village)? Because if it's a city, then you're safe. As far as there are roads and Cops, you'll be safe.
Sometimes our nervousness plays tricks on us, and we begin to fear what we cannot see. If there are bear problems up there, I'm sure citizens, law enforcement and animal control are doing all they can to contain and control the issue. Whenever you are out walking, use some stress-reducing techniques. Listen to an MP3 player or portable CD player, count to ten, bring a friend on your walks, or even just take smaller walks. All of these can help you cope with the nervousness and stress that this situation is causing.
If you seriously need tips on how to handle bears, just ask. Otherwise, Matty has the right idea. Out of curiosity, do you know the species of bear? Grizzly, Black, etc.?
I'm in the suburbs of Maple Ridge. Maple Ridge has been called a ghetto before. It's not exactly all apartments and skyscrapers. Occasionally (rarely) I hear gunshots. Importantly, the neighbourhood I live in is a fair distance from a forest and there are bushes near the train tracks. Maple Ridge people are apparently quite bad when it comes to leaving our garbage unprotected. Vancouver, a region in which Maple Ridge is a subregion, has been dubbed "Gangcouver". Statistics have shown that British Columbians are the worst in Canada at taking care of their kids. So...yeah. Edit:All that considered, I think I actually live in the good part of town. Still...
It sounds like you have some nervousness surrounding not only the bear situation, but your neighborhood as well. I'm sorry to hear that things are so tense and unsettling in your community. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to either go out during the daytime, or be sure to walk with a friend or two. There's safety and/or strength in numbers, they say.
I'm not nervous about my neighbourhood. I've just making it clear that it's not the kind of neighbourhood where police have ample time to take care of bear problems and citizens band together to accomplish common goals with order and benevolence. Also gave some reason why we have a bear problem.
Oh, okay. I'm so sorry for misunderstanding; I didn't realize that was your intention with your post. I guess I should have looked at the context a little closer.
Well, I smelt something musky in the air and questioned a couple to see if they knew what it was. They made apparent to me something I did not realize before. A lot of the people in my neighbourhood own dogs; if a bear was nearby, the dogs would bark like crazy. That takes a load off my mind .
i know how you feel, in my work i have to pay attention to snakes, and sometimes its like i know where they are XD
If you see one, try to tame it. I don't really know how you would achieve this, I imagine you'd have to do something cool like front-flip onto it's back, then use a belt to get it's head under your control. It's pretty risky, but believe me, having a bear partner would be pretty damn sweet.
