Overview

British Columbia is
home to about one-quarter of all black bears in Canada, and half of all grizzly
bears. Preparation and education are essential
to ensuring that encounters with bears in the wild are positive and free from
conflict. Designed for anyone travelling, camping, or working in bear country,
this course is a safety guide to bears in the wild. It provides an overview
about bears, how to identify the various species common to B.C., their habits
and behaviours, and best practices to both prevent and deal with bear
encounters.

Learning
Objectives

Upon
completion of the course, participants will be able to: 

·
Differentiate
between black bears and grizzlies

·
Identify
potential food sources for bears

·
Understand
the human role in creating bear problems;

·
Understand
the concepts “home range” and “personal space”

·
Identify
bears’ body language and indicators of stress

·
Know
how to set up a camp area that will be as
safe as possible 

·
Understand
what bear deterrents are and when to use them

·
Comprehend
the DOs and DON’Ts for minimizing the risks of bear encounters

·
Understand
the differences between a bear’s defensive
and aggressive behavior

Course
Format

This
is a self-paced online course. Participants may leave and resume the
course at any time. The duration will depend on the participant and any prior
knowledge of the subject-matter. Average course completion time is about 1 – 2
hours.

Evaluation and
Certification

There is a test at the
end of each module. Participants who do not achieve 100% can review the module
content and re-try as necessary to complete the course. Test questions are
randomly selected from a test bank, making each test unique. A printable
certificate is available upon successful completion of the course.