These dogs scare bears away—to protect them. Karelian bear dogs are a new, non-lethal tool for wildlife agencies concerned with ursine visitors getting too comfortable around humans.

Arctodus, the giant bear, roamed North America during the Pleistocene era, from around 2.5 million years ago until it went extinct approximately 11,000 years ago.

However, after two years, when the animal grew up to be 250 pounds (roughly 114 kg) and began walking on two legs, the family grew suspicious and found that the "dog" was actually an endangered ...