Stephen Herrero, Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (revised edition), The Lyons Press, Guilford, CT (2002) (original edition 1985) US $16.95, 282 pages, softcover.

Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance is the ultimate reference book on North American brown and black bears. Unlike any other book on the market about bear attacks (and there are many!), this text is based on science rather than sensational accounts and folklore. If you are looking to be scared out of your sleeping bag and deluged with gory details of bear attacks, read one of the other books. But if you want to learn about bears, why they act as they do, and how humans should behave in the wilderness, then this book is not only worth reading, but it is very likely to give you the tools you need to save your life in a bear encounter. Herrero's mission, which he achieves grandly, is to empower people to decrease the likelihood of encounters with bears by teaching bear biology and ecology—not only to protect people but to conserve bears. The author's lifelong experience, both personal and professional, gives him unparalleled expertise in the behavior of bears, and many of the studies he references are from his own original research as Professor of Biology at the University of Calgary. He teaches us how to recognize bears (different types of bears have vastly different responses to the same situation), where bears are likely to be (based on season of year and foods available), and how to recognize if a bear has been nearby (and how recently). Because of his years of research and interviews of bear-attack victims, he has compiled a very useful and reproducible set of suggestions for people who encounter a wild bear. From how to best avoid an encounter to how to behave when under attack by a bear, Herrero's observations have educated thousands and surely have saved many lives. The text has plenty of maps, line drawings, and photographs (all black and white) to illustrate everything from the range of the grizzly bear to the differences between black and brown bear tracks to the posture one should assume in case of attack. It is disappointing that many of the photos and drawings are fuzzy or overexposed, obviously rephotographed from the original text. In many cases, the quality of the art or photo is much clearer and of better quality in the 1985 edition. Shame on the publisher for cutting corners and for advertising this revised edition as “thoroughly revised and updated.” Aside from the new introduction and the addition of a discussion on cayenne pepper spray, trail design, and perimeter monitoring systems, most of the text is unchanged and identical to the 1985 version. As the author says in his introduction, bears’ behavior has not changed much in the past 20 years. Marketing ploy? Perhaps, but I will let it slide. Even if you buy the revised edition and realize that you have essentially reread most of the 1985 version, you will still be entertained and informed. People who work or recreate in bear country probably need a refresher every 15 years or so anyway. The information is accurate, and no one has done a better job in the last 17 years. Herrero's Bear Attacks remains the ultimate resource on North American bears for both the highly educated bear biologist and the lay person alike.

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