Bear attack in yellowstone...double standard?

[Silent1CB]

I think what you're missing is the fact that humans, maybe not those that were actually attacked in this instance, are causing bears and other wild animals to feel they can get closer and closer. All it takes is one or two idiots that think it's cute to feed the bear or want their picture closer to one and the bears start associating humans as a food source. So yes, the bear in this case did something that was not normal bear behavior, but humans are causing that irregular behavior to occur.

Look at the lady that was charged by the bison recently in Yellowstone. Articles are written claiming "poor woman charged by bison..." but what they neglect to mention is that her idiotic friend went into an area that he was not supposed to be in and got the animal all wired up. I don't feel sorry for people at all in that situation.

What actually happened was someone threw a stick at & hit the bison, which caused it to run & charge. Also, yes she & friend were too close also. But it wasn't until the stick hit the bison that the animal even lifted it head to look around.

If it was the friend that threw the stick, I hadn't heard that part. Her interview said someone threw a stick & talked about how she & friend were injured.

 

[JVL1018]

Not that I think this is why... but I need to ask.
Here, they charging you for parking to use the beach. It is free to walk onto the beach & use it.
NJ charges to walk onto a beach and into the water?

.

Yes, you need to pay. During the season anyway. Not in the winter.

 

[hipporina]

Great points have been made, and I agree that this was not normal behavior, human life is more important, and the right thing was done.

I want to add that Yellowstone takes the relationship between humans and animals very seriously. In early park days, the bears were allowed to feed in dumpsters and were practically invited into the "human areas" for entertainment. Naturally, the numbers of attacks increased and eventually the policies were changed. Now, you can't visit the area without being aware of the importance of maintaining distance from wildlife and simply observing, not interacting. That is why attacks are so uncommon.

In this case, the prevention failed and something had to be done.

 

[Jennasis]

Jennasis...Your post shows your complete ignorance of how "normal" wild animals act. A mother bear with 3 cubs will not willingly seek out humans, but will do everything she can to avoid them. She will only attack if threatened or if her cubs are provoked.

This bear took her cubs into a campground in the middle of the night where there were large groups of humans and dragged at least one from his tent and they then fed off him.

That is in no way normal for a wild animal, and her cubs were learning some very unfortunate lessons. She later returned to the campground to hunt some more.

Your comparison to the shark is an extremely poor comparison.

Calling me ignorant will avail you nothing. With the one man dead there is no way of knowing what he may have done to provoke the animal.

I do understand why they felt the need to find and kill the bear, I just think it's sad. For both the deceased and the bear.

I also always wondered why nobody goes looking for the sharks.

 

[Mimi1965]

Calling me ignorant will avail you nothing. With the one man dead there is no way of knowing what he may have done to provoke the animal.

Re-read post # 16

I also always wondered why nobody goes looking for the sharks.

I think it would be impossible-given the size of the oceans to find the shark that bit someone

 

[mumom95]

Government doesn't charge, but here in New Jersey the towns charge you to use the ocean...and they won't do anything to protect you from a shark!!

I didn't know that, I've never been to the ocean in NJ. You learn something new everyday. Thanks.

 

[Jennasis]

I think it would be impossible-given the size of the oceans to find the shark that bit someone

Didn't stop Quint.

 

[Mimi1965]

 

[DisTeach1]

Calling me ignorant will avail you nothing. With the one man dead there is no way of knowing what he may have done to provoke the animal.

Yeah...you're right...maybe he was talking in his sleep or snoring too loud, since it was in the dead of night and he was in his tent.

He was an experienced outdoorsman and fly fisherman, who had been looking forward to his dream trip of a lifetime. I don't think he was provoking any animal.

Okay..going to stop before I say something I'll regret.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

]I guess I just have a problem with people using the bear's backyard for recreation [/COLOR]and then being surprised when the bear (that sounds suspisciously like it was protecting it's cubs, but with the first guy deceased, there's no telling what may have provoked the attack) attacks a human. This is why I don't swim in the ocean or go hiking/camping.

Why couldn't they have relocated the bear and her cubs? There was no mention on rabies, or disease/injury that may have caused the bear to act out.

And while sharks don't steal people off the beach, they DO attack in shallow water. In fact there are quite a few Great Whites hanging out a couple hundred yards off the shore in Florida right now.

Technically, the United States was nothing but forest and prarie, canyon and waterways long before any of us ever lived here, so none of us should be living here at all. We've been encrouching on the animals' territory for hundreds of years.

I bet you wouldn't feel the same if this bear came to your neighborhood and attacked your kids while they played in your backyard. If the animals are comfortable enough to be close to humans, they can and quite possibly might attack. Just had an instance in NJ yesterday of a mother bear and her cubs playing in someone's backyard and playing with the homeowners' children's toys. They are not out hunting the bear, but are concerned that they were quite comfortable playing in the yard in broad daylight.

 

[Magic Mom]

Calling me ignorant will avail you nothing. With the one man dead there is no way of knowing what he may have done to provoke the animal.
.

It was 2 AM in the morning. He was dragged from his tent. Food wasn't a factor. It's pretty clear the man didn't do anything to provoke the attack.

 

[Jennasis]

Technically, the United States was nothing but forest and prarie, canyon and waterways long before any of us ever lived here, so none of us should be living here at all. We've been encrouching on the animals' territory for hundreds of years.

I bet you wouldn't feel the same if this bear came to your neighborhood and attacked your kids while they played in your backyard. If the animals are comfortable enough to be close to humans, they can and quite possibly might attack. Just had an instance in NJ yesterday of a mother bear and her cubs playing in someone's backyard and playing with the homeowners' children's toys. They are not out hunting the bear, but are concerned that they were quite comfortable playing in the yard in broad daylight.

You are completely right! ...I'd be up in arms, totally freaked out, and clamoring for the bear's capture.

But this bear wasn't in my (or any) neighborhood. Humans were in it's neighborhood.

 

[sunnyday123]

Didn't stop Quint.

Oh My God I said the same thing when I read that!

And then:

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

 

[disykat]

Yeah...you're right...maybe he was talking in his sleep or snoring too loud, since it was in the dead of night and he was in his tent.

This was too good not to repeat. I was also trying to figure out how sleeping people were provoking animals!

Jennasis, I live on land that used to be animal's territory. You probably do too. Don't we all? Do you seriously think that not swimming in the ocean and not going hiking or camping means you have never used land that wasn't some animal's territory first?

 

[PrincessKsMom]

You are completely right! ...I'd be up in arms, totally freaked out, and clamoring for the bear's capture.

But this bear wasn't in my (or any) neighborhood. Humans were in it's neighborhood.

I guess you missed my point -- we're ALL in their neighborhood.

 

[sunnyday123]

Yeah...you're right...maybe he was talking in his sleep or snoring too loud, since it was in the dead of night and he was in his tent.

He was an experienced outdoorsman and fly fisherman, who had been looking forward to his dream trip of a lifetime. I don't think he was provoking any animal.

Okay..going to stop before I say something I'll regret.

Unfortunately, no one knows if anything provoked this bear. Even a slight smell that they didn't think was noticeable, could have been to her. Maybe she was very hungry, smelled food, and fed her cubs. Wildlife is just that, wild. There is always a risk when entering their home territory, and sadly a person died.

 

[Planogirl]

This bear sounds like it was out of control and needed to be put down. However I always find it ironic when people go into areas hoping to see wild animals and then are surprised when these animals act like wild animals.

I used to hike in an area that had a lot of gators. Some trails would be closed certain times of year because of nesting females. Female gators zealously guard their nests so anyone wandering into their area could have been in serious trouble. Sometimes people would bypass the barriers in spite of that though and in that case those people would be responsible if anything happened IMO.

I feel sympathy for a wild animal when people provoke it or threaten it and then it's put down. However this bear entered a people area and didn't seem to be provoked in any way.

 

[Jennasis]

I guess you missed my point -- we're ALL in their neighborhood.

Ah...then yes, I missed the point. Gotcha now.

Listen gang, I am more than willing to concede my thought process here is flawed, but it's just how I feel. Would the bear still have been put down if they had found a reasonable explanation for the attack (someone taunting it or the cubs, food left out etc?).

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Ah...then yes, I missed the point. Gotcha now.

Listen gang, I am more than willing to concede my thought process here is flawed, but it's just how I feel. Would the bear still have been put down if they had found a reasonable explanation for the attack (someone taunting it or the cubs, food left out etc?).

Probably not...they would have most likely put the whole family in a zoo/zoos. However this bear was not provoked and obviously has a taste for human. That is not the type of animal we need around campsites.

And as for the sharks, if the ocean wasn't as big as it is we would probably hunt down the sharks that attack and put them down as well.

 

[JoiseyMom]

they didnt put the cubs down? I heard that they had to put the cubs down also because they learned to hunt humans from their mother...

I heard that initially also, and wasn't pleased about that. Then they were talking to an expert from the area, and he said that the cubs were going to zoos to make sure they can't harm anyone. He also said that several zoos had already contacted them.