Wednesday 20 May 2009

Treats Anyone?

This is a good example of what happens when bears see people as a good source of food. The bystanders in the background are taking a risk by being so close. Parks Canada warns people to stay a minimum of 100 metres from bears.

[click to enlarge]













Photo Credits: Julie Bauer, copyright.

13 comments:

Michele said...

OK, just from viewing these photo, 100 meters doesn't seem nearly far enough! Wow. Why would those people stay so close?!

Barbara Martin said...

Michele, if you look at the second photo by enlarging it the woman standing next to the man is delighted to be so close while not realizing the danger.

Also, by enlarging the photo it's a wonder the car could hold any more items inside.

Steve Malley said...

My computer's *finally* running again, and I can see I've got a bit of reading ahead of me. I've had a few 'up close' moments with snakes and alligators, jellyfish and sharks, but no bears.

At least, not yet...

Barbara Martin said...

Steve, I saw plenty of bears when I was a child on family trips to Banff and Jasper in an era when travellers often fed them at roadside. (My parents never fed bears anything. My father had hunted them and knew they were dangerous.) It didn't take long for there to be 'problem' bears. They don't understand why the person ran out of tasty treats, just that there should be an unlimited supply.

The only time I had a 'close' encounter was while taking a stroll down a path behind a motel near Sunwapta Falls, had not gone far when a little black cub came out of the tall grass onto the path. It took a moment for it to register that if there's a cub, then mom is around somewhere. I looked around and saw a black hump further down the path, turned and hurried back to the motel without incident.

David Cranmer said...

My wife and I got a laugh out of the photo. She's been driving the same type of car-Honda Civic-since the early nineties. That car will be smashed with one bear swipe.

laughingwolf said...

more folk are killed by black bears than grizzly and polar combined... i have no sympathy... there's no law against stupidity, unfortunately :(

debra said...

Seems like the problem is more apt to be the person rather than the bear...

Charles Gramlich said...

People take wild animals for granted. Until someone gets mauled.

Barbara Martin said...

David, how right you are. I have seen what a black bear can do to the front windshield of a truck: remove it.

Tony, I agree.

Debra, perhaps in this case the people in the car had been feeding the bear.

Barbara Martin said...

Charles, too many consider them to be warm and fuzzy as they are in the Disney nature shows. I bet the couple in the background have no idea that black bears can run 30 mph.

Lana Gramlich said...

A couple of months ago we had a young black bear (WAYYY off track,) wander through our area. No one got any photos, but everyone thought it was pretty neat, regardless.

Teresa said...

I can't believe those people are doing that!!

Barbara Martin said...

Lana, black bears are fine at a distance, and I understand the novelty of seeing one in an area not noted for them.

Teresa, my thoughts exactly.