Female black bears are never dangerous --- at least that's what a roomful of
bear experts at the recent international bear conference in Gatlinburg,
Tennessee unanimously agreed (Lynn Rogers, Barry Gilbert, and Stephen
Herrero among them).

The well-learned lesson about female *brown* bears attacking humans to
protect cubs seems to have been projected incorrectly on to black bears.

A black bear mother will often bluff charge, clack teeth, huff and puff, but
there are no records of contact (I and doubtless others would welcome any
new data)

The evidence of danger from male black bears in wilderness areas (this
excepts all the lower 48, Herrero maintains), however, is growing rapidly.
The black bear that circles you furtively or approaches very gradually is
probably seeing you as prey: you may be in great danger. This behavior is
not the usual pattern, of course. Which aggressive actions to carry out in
this situation is a matter of lengthy debate --- not food for an extended
tweeters thread.

I thought, though, that many folks might be relieved to hear about female
black bears and their cubs and the remarkable unanimity of bear biologists
on this score.

-Tully