MISSOULA — UMPD received an electronic crime report of a bear encounter on campus last night (10/22/2020) at around 1 in the morning. The report was of a small black bear digging in garbage on the east side of Aber Hall. The bear ran towards the Social Science Building. The bear was not aggressive.
UMPD encourages people as they start their daily activities to be “Bear Aware”. Please call UMPD at (406) 243-4000 in the event you encounter a bear. Below are some safety tips for bear encounters.
- Bears that are agitated may appear to be non-threatening or passive at first.
- Bears that are agitated may snap or pop their jaws and make a woofing sound.
- Do not run. This may incite a predatory chase response.
- Continue to face the bear and back away slowly, talking calmly to identify yourself as a human.
- If the bear continues to approach, try to scare it away by making yourself as large and imposing as possible by stretching your arms overhead and making loud noises.
You can find more educational information about bears and bear encounters by visiting the US Forest Service “Be Bear Aware” webpage.
