1206_1094 Black Bear
Encounter, part 2. This is the same cinnamon Black Bear seen in yesterday's post. Its body language is very different. It takes a worried bear to give me a look like that. Interesting comparison, I think.
After I'd been working with it alone for 15 minutes or so and this bear had accepted me as non-threatening, along came a couple of tourists in their car. There was a slight bend in the road behind me, where my car was, about 50 feet away and slightly to the right. Instead of pulling up directly behind me, they stopped 75 feet short, triangulating the bear. Behind the bear was a mountain wall.
Its stress level went straight up. Ears back, fear in its eyes. I began talking to it in a soft voice and slowly backing up, trying not to trip over roots and branches, while it considered possible options. And all ended well, as I was able to give it a clear escape path, which it took.
Then I walked over and had a little talk with the tourists. I was calm. You can't teach people by yelling at them. I told them they had created a dangerous situation for me, and why: "You effectively surrounded the bear, and that put me at risk."
Of course, I knew from the start this might happen. I had my own escape route in mind all along. After a few minutes with this bear, I was pretty sure we could read each other and no one would get his nose out of joint. But tourists always increase the danger level, because "reading" wildlife is a foreign concept to them and they unwittingly do dumb things. I'd much rather photograph bears in the back country.
Photographed in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2012 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1206_1094 Black Bear
Encounter, part 2. This is the same cinnamon Black Bear seen in yesterday's post. Its body language is very different. It takes a worried bear to give me a look like that. Interesting comparison, I think.
After I'd been working with it alone for 15 minutes or so and this bear had accepted me as non-threatening, along came a couple of tourists in their car. There was a slight bend in the road behind me, where my car was, about 50 feet away and slightly to the right. Instead of pulling up directly behind me, they stopped 75 feet short, triangulating the bear. Behind the bear was a mountain wall.
Its stress level went straight up. Ears back, fear in its eyes. I began talking to it in a soft voice and slowly backing up, trying not to trip over roots and branches, while it considered possible options. And all ended well, as I was able to give it a clear escape path, which it took.
Then I walked over and had a little talk with the tourists. I was calm. You can't teach people by yelling at them. I told them they had created a dangerous situation for me, and why: "You effectively surrounded the bear, and that put me at risk."
Of course, I knew from the start this might happen. I had my own escape route in mind all along. After a few minutes with this bear, I was pretty sure we could read each other and no one would get his nose out of joint. But tourists always increase the danger level, because "reading" wildlife is a foreign concept to them and they unwittingly do dumb things. I'd much rather photograph bears in the back country.
Photographed in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2012 James R. Page - all rights reserved.