key point
- While bears will attack and kill horses, they are not natural enemies.
- Bears can run in all directions at speeds that rival horses (35 miles per hour).
- This article introduces a video showing a horse fighting a grizzly bear.
Camp Chief Hector YMCA is a distinctive camping and environmental education branch that operates year-round with a focus on youth while offering programs for all through summer camps, outdoor schools, weekend activities for adults and their families, and meeting and event spaces. It’s located in Kananaskis Country, just a short drive west of Calgary.
Back in late May 2011, a camper used his cell phone to capture the experience of a lifetime. There is a beautiful pasture for horses within the camp, which shows how important it is to support each other.
The shot opens with a young grizzly bear relatively close to the horse. While looking for food, he waited by the forest. We had to wonder if he was thinking about having a horse for lunch that day.
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Several horses turned around, almost in an attempt to intimidate the apex predator. Bears are notoriously ferocious predators.
© iStock.com/Jess Bray
power of numbers
Bears can run in all directions at speeds that rival horses (35 miles per hour). If you see a bear outdoors, don’t try to run away from it, as the bear can always catch you. Instead, maintain a high posture while waving your arms and speaking calmly.
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The horses took a different approach and decided to show the bear that they outnumbered him. A horse can reach an average speed of 35 to 44 miles per hour. It’s safe to say they can easily run past a bear if need be.
The two horses standing on the ground approached the fence, almost telling the bear that it was time to get away, or things would get worse. Another horse can be seen grazing as a fourth and final horse joins the herd. Horses are not on the menu for this cub grizzly today!
©JM-DIGITALPHOTOGRAPHY/Shutterstock.com
Horses in the herd are better protected from predators and given extra warning. When it comes time to attack a large herd of horses, a carnivore that may try to attack just one of the horses often lacks courage. Since horses are flying animals, they will run away from harm rather than confront it head-on. Those of you at Camp Chief Hector must have felt the confrontation today!
An interesting comment below the video reads, “Those horses stood firm, and 100 people I also ran away. ” Another said, “The alphas crept up to the front. If you’ve ever seen horses fight, let alone four horses wrestle a predator, you know that while bears can do some serious damage, horses kill quickly Bear.”
We are glad the wild animals minded their own business and were unharmed.
© AZ-Animals.com
Do horses usually confront bears?
Across the United States, there have been countless incidents of black bears and grizzlies beating horses and riders.
While horseback riders should exercise caution in areas where bears are known to inhabit, they may take comfort that the two mammals are not considered predators. Conflicts like those documented are usually the result of two animals accidentally crossing paths.
For anyone who encounters a bear in the wild, whether on horseback or not, experts recommend staying calm, speaking softly, and moving away slowly within the bear’s sight range.
next…
This is just one example of the tension some of the world’s scariest animals create in nature. Here are some other dangerous biometrics.
- Watch this family of badgers narrowly escape hungry wolves at night – imagine going out for an evening walk with the family, only to return to find your home visited by one of the world’s fiercest predators! See how the Badger family ended up and their close encounters.
- Watch underwater spiders hunt (and eat!) by making your own oxygen tank – in this stunning aquatic footage, a spider is at ease devouring insect larvae in and out of the water.
- Watch a lion hunt the biggest antelope you’ve ever seen – the apex predator shows off its retractable claws, hunting prowess and incredible strength in chilling video from the African savannah.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
