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Article: USGS Cautions Proper Use of Pepper Spray to Avoid Bear Attacks
- Article from:
- U.S. Newswire
- Article date:
- February 10, 1998
CopyrightCopyright 1998 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Red pepper spray,
commonly used by people in bear country to ward off aggressive
bear attacks, may actually attract brown bears if used improperly,
according to preliminary research by a wildlife ecologist at
the USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage.
In research recently submitted for publication in the Wildlife
Society Bulletin, USGS researcher Tom Smith emphasized that although
the spray is a proven deterrent in some encounters with aggressive
bears, red pepper spray is not a bear repellent when applied to
objects such as tents, food containers, clothing or other personal
belongings, "nor is it claimed to be by most manufacturers." In
fact, noted ...