Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

by Mary Roach

It’s beer o’clock (Canadian for 5:00 p.m.).

The worst thing you can do in any situation where a predator seems bent on attack is to turn and run. This is especially true with a carnivorous hunter like a cougar, because running (or mountain-biking) away triggers the predator-prey response.

As any criminologist can tell you, prevention is better than punishment. The safest thing for both species is to keep them apart. Don’t let bears learn to associate humans with easy meals. Require that people in bear country secure their garbage. Tell them to stop feeding birds and leaving dogfood on the porch.

For every 1.8-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature, hibernation shortened by about a week. Based on current climate change projections, black bears of the year 2050 will be hibernating 15 to 40 days less than they are now. That’s 15 to 40 more days out on the landscape looking for food. Add “more bear break-ins” to the list of possible consequences of climate change.

Whatever you do in this life, stay away from an inebriated bull elephant in musth.