Hikers and Grizzlies in Alaska

[azbackpackr]

Some friends of mine went to Alaska to go backpacking. They picked up a brochure near the trailhead which gave details about how to deal with bears while hiking. The brochure said that if you're in black bear country you don't need to worry too much because generally black bears are shy and will run away. It said when you are in grizzly country you should carry pepper spray and wear bells on your ankles to warn the bears away.

My friends had some questions so they went to talk to the ranger. "How can we tell if we're in black bear country as opposed to grizzly country?" they wanted to know. The ranger said, "When you're in black bear country you can tell by the poop--it's fairly small, dark in color, has seeds in it and smells like berries. When you start getting into grizzly country you can tell because their poop is larger, lighter in color, has bells in it and smells like pepper spray!"

[Davis2001R6]

Thats funny!

Pete, need more cowbell here!

[IGO]

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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[DesertRoux]

[IGO]

[azbackpackr]

cowbell?

[GeorgAz]

Speaking of grizzlies....Did anyone catch "Grizzly Man" on Discover, about Treadwell? Pretty eccentric character! A biologist researcher friend of mine who does lots of field trips documenting wildlife, said there is a bear spray available in some hilking shops that will shoot about 20-30 feet; his co-worker used it on a prowler that attempted to climb into her bedroom window one night....VERY effective!

[azhiker96]

yes, I saw the special about Treadwell. Was not very impressed with him. Considering the way he interacted with the bears, the end was almost inevitable.
_________________
It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[Vashti]

We watched "Grizzly Man" on video last night.

We are with AZHiker96 ... the end was inevitable. We were just so put out. I mean that footage of bears and foxes was great, but at what price? The bears are now accustomed to coming up to humans (since Treadwell goes right up to them and tellS them he loves them - !), and when they get rocks thrown at them, he gets mad.

What a strange, strange story. I kept thinking about the poor woman and in general how terrible the attack must have been. I am glad they did not play the recorded audio from the actual event.

Yikes!



-Vashti
_________________
Be Happy!
Enjoy Life!

ESCAPE the CUBE!!

[IGO]

I've got that sitting on the DVD player. Haven't watched it yet though.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[Tommy]

[ghoster]

He just played the grizzly game with real grizzlies and the more dominant male that showed up ate him. It was going to happen by his actions around real bears. I only watched the first few minutes and found that this guy was nuts, and his thinking that some kind of mental attitude would turn a grizzly into a bonding buddy. I once saw a guy that wanted to take on a black bear with a bowie knife. I never laughed so hard at someone. He had no idea what he was talking about, and he wanted a sow bear with cubs. Yup, treadwell just removed himself from the gene pool before he had a chance to lower the standards any.

[desertgirl]

Caught "Grizzly Man" on Discovery Channel this past Sunday ... Beautiful scenery and bear/fox shots ...Treadwell is plain nuts (Looks like he has had issues all his life!) ...these are the types that give conservation a bad name! If you want to save / protect these "beautiful" creatures -- stay away from them ...there is no need to live among them to appreciate them. It's sad someone else also had to perish for his stupidity...
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[azhiker96]

My brother made a comment to me that's worth repeating here. Treadwell had seen too many Disney animal shows. He seemed to think Mr. Fox and Mr. Bear should play and dance and sleep together. Nature is not that way.

The bear that killed and ate him was not being malevolent. It was just another kill to the bear. If Treadwell's girlfriend would have just walked away she likely would have survived the attack. I don't blame her for fighting for her friend. I would do the same for my kids if they were attacked.

One bear died due to his actions. Other bears may die also if they become too aggressive due to his close contact. I don't think that's the legacy he wanted.
_________________
It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[Vashti]

That is what is so ludicrous about that documentary. I am not sure that Treadwell's initial thoughts were to save the bears (it almost seems like a suicide mission to escape after his life problems), but after 13 years, I think he did want to protect the bears.

How ironic that he ended doing just the opposite with killing at least one bear (since park service people don't take kindly to bears eating people), and endangering other bears by acclimating them to people. Indeed, he does give conservationists a bad name. Hopefully, anyone who thinks of him as a serious conservationist will watch the video and see he was nuts instead.

Movie Synapsis: "He loved bears and they ate him anyway."

Yup, wild animals eat things. It is expected. It is just tragic in this case. I still can't get over him talking to bears and foxes like they are little children. "I love you, Mr. Chocolate", indeed... :O

:O
-Vashti
_________________
Be Happy!
Enjoy Life!

ESCAPE the CUBE!!