Young Grizzly
The last time I had a close encounter with wild bears it was a pair of Black Bears. But this time I enjoyed the safety of a safari bus, and was not on foot and feeling somewhat vulnerable!
Walking through an attractive forest not that much different in appearance from English woodland it was only too easy to forget there could be a dangerous animal around the next bend. Or two dangerous animals….. But luckily they were Black Bears, not Grizzlys, and they were happy to give me and my family a wide berth.
Denali park rangers maintain a constant effort to keep the wildlife wild by limiting the interaction between humans and park animals. In August 2012, fifteen days after our encounter with the Black Bears in Jasper, the park experienced its first known fatal bear attack when a lone hiker apparently startled a large male grizzly while photographing it. When I read that, it brought home how fortunate we were. You can’t always rely on Black Bears being shy! Analysis of the scene and the hiker's camera strongly suggest he violated park regulations regarding backcountry bear encounters, which all permit holders are made aware of. The hiker apparently photographed the grizzly bear for at least eight minutes before the bear mauled and killed him.
Investigators recovered the camera and looked at the photographs, which showed the bear grazing and not acting aggressively before the attack.
It seems that the hiker was backpacking alone along the Toklat River when he came within 50 yards of the bear, far closer than the quarter-mile of separation required by park rules when if they find themselves any closer they should slowly back away.
The bear was later shot dead by a state trooper.
Young Grizzly
The last time I had a close encounter with wild bears it was a pair of Black Bears. But this time I enjoyed the safety of a safari bus, and was not on foot and feeling somewhat vulnerable!
Walking through an attractive forest not that much different in appearance from English woodland it was only too easy to forget there could be a dangerous animal around the next bend. Or two dangerous animals….. But luckily they were Black Bears, not Grizzlys, and they were happy to give me and my family a wide berth.
Denali park rangers maintain a constant effort to keep the wildlife wild by limiting the interaction between humans and park animals. In August 2012, fifteen days after our encounter with the Black Bears in Jasper, the park experienced its first known fatal bear attack when a lone hiker apparently startled a large male grizzly while photographing it. When I read that, it brought home how fortunate we were. You can’t always rely on Black Bears being shy! Analysis of the scene and the hiker's camera strongly suggest he violated park regulations regarding backcountry bear encounters, which all permit holders are made aware of. The hiker apparently photographed the grizzly bear for at least eight minutes before the bear mauled and killed him.
Investigators recovered the camera and looked at the photographs, which showed the bear grazing and not acting aggressively before the attack.
It seems that the hiker was backpacking alone along the Toklat River when he came within 50 yards of the bear, far closer than the quarter-mile of separation required by park rules when if they find themselves any closer they should slowly back away.
The bear was later shot dead by a state trooper.