.....grizzly charges group of watchers...

Pathfinder1 · 02-29-2012, 09:30 AM

Hi...

Accprding to today's Dailey Mail - News (I wish I could bring up the post)...a group of ten grizzly-watching tourists watching a group of grizzlys fishing for salmon in Alaska, was charged by a lone grizzly.

Briefed beforehand, they sat there like statues while the grizzly "inspected" them. The bear was close enough to sniff one's hoody...!!

After its investigation, the bear wandered off. No tourists were harmed, but won't forget that experience for a long time...!!

carmen · 02-29-2012, 09:36 AM

I would have no issues watching from a far distance but if you are that close you are asking for trouble. What bear in their right mind would not think someone is invading their food source area??

ChadTower · 02-29-2012, 10:02 AM

I have trouble believing that out of ten toursts not one of them panicked with a wild grizzly charging at them. That is just not realistic.

ppine · 02-29-2012, 11:03 AM

Those bears are habituated to humans, and have all of the fish they can eat. Katmai NP on the Alaskan Peninsula is famous for up close and personal bear watching. It is not a natural situation.

ChadTower · 02-29-2012, 11:26 AM

That actually makes them more dangerous. Not less. A wild bear is almost always looking for an exit rather than an interaction. A habituated bear? No way to know what its past experience may be so no way to predict what it thinks of people.

Pathfinder1 · 02-29-2012, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChadTower

I have trouble believing that out of ten toursts not one of them panicked with a wild grizzly charging at them. That is just not realistic.

Hi...

That was exactly what they were briefed on prior to the encounter, per the article.

ChadTower · 02-29-2012, 02:31 PM

I don't care what a group of people are briefed on. You put ten average people in the path of a charging grizzly bear and the odds of all ten standing still is absolutely zero. One of them is going to freak out.

Pathfinder1 · 02-29-2012, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChadTower

I don't care what a group of people are briefed on. You put ten average people in the path of a charging grizzly bear and the odds of all ten standing still is absolutely zero. One of them is going to freak out.

Hi...

Actually, they were sitting, per the article.