Could You React in Time to a Charging Bear? ‘Robobear’ Suggests You’d Be Lunch

Besides thinking about the ancient Roman Empire all the time, men have also been known to fantasize about bravely fending off a bear attack at any given moment. A contraption in Wyoming could make that dream almost real—and give them some practice at it, too.

Hungry bears with some serious bedhead have begun emerging from their winter hibernation, making unwelcome encounters with humans more likely. To spread awareness about bear safety, Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department’s very own “Robobear” has also returned: a fake bear on top of a remote-controlled wheeled platform intended to simulate a charging bear. Its aim is to prove that the day a grizzly comes barreling through the trees, many people won’t be as prepared as they are in their fantasies—but practice makes perfect.

“It’s difficult to know how you will react in a high stress situation. So, planning and practice are critical,” said Maria Davidson, Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) large carnivore program manager, in a statement by the foundation. SCIF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of wildlife, and is a partner on the Robobear project, along with other groups.

As reported by the Cowboy State Daily, individuals participating in the training are divided into groups, and each person is given a canister of fake bear spray. One group at a time, the participants are told to face away from the Robobear. The organizer then sends the Robobear charging toward their backs, and calls out a warning. At the sound of the warning, the participants have to turn and spray the predator.

It’s harder than it sounds.

“Like an idiot, I kept the holster’s Velcro-secured retaining strap over the top of my can,” outdoors reporter Mark Heinz, who participated in the training, wrote for Cowboy State Daily. When Mark Aughton, Game and Fish large carnivore biologist and Bear Wise Wyoming coordinator, gave the warning, “I scrambled helplessly at the strap, developing a severe case of butterfingers in the heat of the moment,” he recounted.

In fact, the point of the training is for individuals to practice accessing and employing their bear spray as quickly as possible. The defense weapon is only useful if it’s accessible, Aughton explained, and as quoted by Cowboy State Daily. After all, digging through your giant camping backpack while a grizzly is charging your way at 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour) is probably not the best course of action. Aughton added that bear spray should be kept readily available in a holster, where one can grab it at any moment—and everyone in a group should have one on them.

“Bear spray is an effective deterrent in an aggressive bear encounter,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department bear conflict manager Brian DeBolt said in the SCIF statement. “We hope this effort continues to raise awareness and remind those recreating in bear country to be prepared and stay safe.”