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Tooth and claw: Bears

Adam Hart explores our complex relationship with bears; Black, Brown and Grizzly usually avoid humans but attacks on people, still rare, have been increasing.

Teddy bears might be popular with children but real bears are anything but cuddly. Brown, Black and Grizzly bears are the most well-known and have a well-deserved fearsome reputation. But for most part, bear attacks are not nearly as common as you might think. They are solitary, curious and you are unlikely to see one unless you are really lucky – or unlucky depending on your point of view. So what should you do if you find yourself facing one in a forest? To learn more about these fascinating creatures, which can spend the winter months in a deep state of biological hibernation, professor Adam Hart speaks to Dr Clayton Lamb from the University of British Columbia in Canada and Dr Giulia Bombieri from the Science Museum in Trento, Italy, about their work and experiences of these amazing beasts, whose numbers are increasing in some parts of the world, leading to an increase of defensive attacks on people.

Producedr: Rami Tzabar and Beth Eastwood
Presenter: Professor Adam Hart.

Picture: Brown bear, Credit: Szabo Ervin-Edward/EyeEm/Getty Images

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27 minutes

Last on

Mon 5 Jul 2021 00:32GMT

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  • Mon 28 Jun 2021 19:32GMT
  • Tue 29 Jun 2021 03:32GMT
  • Tue 29 Jun 2021 04:32GMT
  • Tue 29 Jun 2021 08:32GMT
  • Tue 29 Jun 2021 12:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 00:32GMT

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