Oh, Donuel, do not -- I say again, DO NOT -- try to caress a wild animal, or indeed any individual of any undomesticated species. Yes, they are intelligent, and yes, they may enjoy a head-rub, but they are not pets and they do not think as you may believe they do. It is safest, for both you and the beast, to assume that a large animal such as a bear is primarily interested in finding out whether you might be crunchy and good even without ketchup.

You don't have to go far on the Internet to find a discouraging story about some idiot who got mangled in an attempt to get familiar with a non-human non-human apex predator.

I grew up in the Ottawa Valley, where bears are common and attacks are called "bear strikes". People who turn their backs on small children at camp sites learn the hard way just how fast bears move and how un-cute they can be without even trying.