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Study: Pepper spray deters, attracts bears


Published: March 27, 2008 at 10:45 AM
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PROVIDENCE, Utah, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined pepper spray is a viable alternative to the use of guns in deterring bears although spray residue actually attracts bears.

The study was led by Associate Professor Thomas Smith, a Brigham Young University bear biologist. Smith and colleagues analyzed 20 years of bear spray incidents in Alaska, home to 150,000 bears. They found pepper spray effectively halted aggressive bear behavior in 92 percent of the cases, whether that behavior involved an attack or merely rummaging for food.

Of all 175 people involved in the incidents studied, only three were injured by bears and none required hospitalization.

Smith and his research team report their findings in the April issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management.

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