Effectiveness of Bear Pepper Spray
Surveys of Alaskan bear attacks show bear repellent pepper spray to be nearly 100 percent effective. In comparison, accurate gunfire stops an attack short 50 percent of the time, with several hits needed to drop the bear.
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Types
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Bear repellent spray is not formulated nor applied in the same way as personal self-defense spray. Self-defense pepper spray is less potent and directed in a stream, which is not effective against bears.
Standards
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Standards developed by wildlife biologists for use against bears exceed those required for self-defense sprays. Bear spray must project at least 25 feet and provide several six-second bursts for protection against multiple charges.
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Deployment
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Self-defense spray projects in a stream aimed at an attacker's eyes. Bear repellent is sprayed in a sweeping motion horizontally to form a floating cloud barrier.
Action
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Charging bears are deterred by the appearance of the orange cloud as well as by the pepper. Bears penetrating the barrier do less damage to their victims and retreat more quickly.
Concerns
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Bear repellents discharge at 70 mph with enough power to deploy at a safe distance even upwind. Incidents of repellent failures have usually involved self-defense sprays, not bear repellent.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
