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Re: [at-l] re: bears
Michael Henderson wrote:
>
>i think this is quite true of non-national park bears. however, in
>shenandoah, the smokies, and my personal favorite for anthropomorphised
>bears, yosemite, the bears are not so much scared as wary. they know where
>the food is (backpackers, campgrounds) and actively seek out these spots,
>despite the human presence. in these cases it has been my experience (not
>overly extensive, mind you) that you need to go out of your way to make
>loud noises or some other means of startling them because they are not
>afraid of you merely being near them.
Quite true, and a good point. I made the same qualification in a couple of
private posts which followed the one to the at-l. I've never met a bear in
one of the "tamer" parks, although I meet a couple every year in Glacier
(U.S. version), and there are always bears around in Jasper NP, Willmore
Wilderness PP and Mt. Robson PP, where I spend a few weeks every year, and
the Canadian North.
I wrote to Jim H. Hill Jr., yesterday:
>I wonder about the habituation of the bears to humans in crowded areas,
>though. >I don't know how that would effect the bears' reactions. Once
>bears get used to >people up here, they are often destroyed by the
>authorities, especially >grizzlies and polar bears. (I've never run across
>a polar bear, thank God.)
Cordially,
R J Hayes
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