Bear Attack in Tetons?
 

There was a report on one of our news stations about a bear attack in the Tetons, but we didn't get the whole story and I can't find it anywhere else. Anyone else hear anything?

Might it be this?

http://www.yellowstone.net/newspaper/

The guy lived and seems to be okay.

I love the next story - about the idiot tourist who took a flash picture - from 10' away - of a bull elk in full rut - and then was so surprised when it charged him.

Are these people all born brainless - or do they develop it over time?

MarthaB. Yes, that appears to be the same story. Interesting how it became part of the news (with pictures) on our local news station (in the Midwest) 2 days after it occurred. Thanks.

Nytraveler. Totally agree. People get so excited seeing wild animals that they lose any and all common sense they may have arrived with. I can't believe how many people actually harrass the animals trying to follow them to get closer to get "better" pictures--I think the animals are more tolerant of us than we deserve at times.

I think they are born that way.

A while ago, I was camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the area of Mt. Pisgah.

A man came running up to me wanting to borrow my flashlight. I asked him why?
He said, "We have a bear cub treed and we want to see him better." My response, "Where's Mama?" About that time I heard crashing sounds and the sound of running feet. Mama was right over there.

I decided my car was safer than my tent!
Particularly with idiots like that on the loose.

Yellowstone runs a loop of home videos they've collected of people getting too up close and personal with the animals. People seem to forget wild animals really don't act like they see in Disney films. During a floating trip in the Tetons, our tour guide told us some people have tried to sued after an attack, claiming the warnings all over the park were "too vague"!

It wasn't bear attack regardless what they call it. Bears need to defend themselves from idiots like those mentioned in some posts here.

While at Tahoe this summer I read a list of "worst bear stories" pointing out mainly what idiots people can be. The worst one was the story of a man who smeared peanut butter on his three year old's face so he could take a picture of a bear licking it off.

nytraveler, they are born that way and they work at perfecting it the rest of their lives. The animals in places like Yellowstone are wild, they are not pets, and these idiots seem to forget that . . .

A few years ago in the Everglades we drove along a road that had a creek beside it with hundreds and hundreds of gators lounging around it. I'm still amazed at myself for exiting the car to take a picture. But what really amazed me was the family that was standing next to the water and throwing stones at the gators!!! What were these people thinking?

The guy was on the Today show this AM - he looks fine

Please.....someone tell the bear joke about the bells...:-)

BuffaloGirl,

There was a popular jogging trail at the Univ. of FL; it was on a lake and gators commonly crawled up and slept on the jogging trail. We would just hop over them. Of course that was 20 years when I was 22, invincible and obviously lacking good judgment. I don't know what the excuses are for the stupidity of the behavior described above. I can only hope that the peanut butter incident is an urban legend.

Cats Do Dance, I vividly remember seeing that video when we were at Yellowstone a few years ago. In one cameo a bear approaches a car; the driver cracks the window and feeds it something; the bear wanted more so it just peeled away the driver's front door window like a banana.

My dad has a segement of an old home movie shot from inside our car during our family vacation to Yellowstone in the 60's. Back in those days before many bears were relocated, they roamed the roads by the dozens. On the tape, a woman gets out of her car to PET a bear cub. My dad films her literally diving through an open car window (not the car she got out of) just yards ahead of the mama in hot pursuit.

Saw the show this morning. There was a tv show not too long ago that showed how many bears are close to hikers without their knowledge. We went on a ranger led hike in Glacier once where she told us to clap your hands loudly and yell (hey bear) whenever you came to a bend in a trail. We do try to remember to talk loudly when on trails by ourselves, but never really thought much about it until we were in Sequoia last May and heard some noise on our right and looked up the hill just in time to see a black bear running away from us. Glad it didn't have a cub--might have been a different story.

Apparently all these people are incapable of rational thought.

What scares me the most is that these people are all allowed to vote. Or wait -perhaps that accounts for our current admiistration.

I believe I have an entry in the stupid things people do in national parks contest. I saw a person send their very small child across the barriers to get really close to Old Faithful. The duh factor is very high!

So the field guide was leading a group of New Yorkers on a wilderness hike for the first time.

As they began, he did a gear check for the tourists:
Water?
Check
Extra socks?
Check
Layers?
Check
Bells?
Check

As they walked, one curious young stock broker asked the guide:
"What are the bells for?"
The guide replied:
"If we make noise with the bells, the wildlife will clear out of our way, especially the bears. You don't want to surprise the bears."

As they walked further into the wilderness, they came upon some bear droppings along the side of the trail. The guide pointed them out:

"See, a brown bear was here not too long ago. He probably cleared out when he heard our bells."

A little farther down the trail, a young actress in white Nikes asked: "Are there different kinds of bears."

The guide replied in the affirmative.

Then the curious stock broker asked, "Can you tell the different kinds by their droppings?"

The guide replied, "Why yes, very good. You see, brown bear droppings are small and round. Black bear droppings are bigger and lighter in color. And Grizzly Bear droppings are big, elongated, and usually have bells in them..."

That's it gc! Thanks!

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods.

What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" he said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look and saw a 7-foot grizzly charging towards him. Running as fast as he could up the path, he looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him.

Every time he looked, the bear was closer.

He tripped, fell to the ground, and rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out: "Oh, my God!..."

Time stopped.

The bear froze.

The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came from the sky: "You deny my existence for all of these years, teach others that I don't exist, and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you now expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light, and replied: "It would be hypocritical of me to ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps could You make the BEAR a Christian?"

"Very well," said the voice.

The brilliant light went out.

The sounds of the forest resumed.

Then the bear brought both paws together, bowed his head and said, "Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen."
----------------------------------------

And here's a different version of the bear poop.

Grizzly Bear Warning


The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently issued this bulletin...

"Warning: In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert of bears while in the field.

We advise outdoorsmen to wear noisy little bells on their clothing, so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear manure: Black bear manure is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear manure has little bells in it and smells like pepper."

:-)I think that was the version I originally heard Olive. I also think what makes this joke so funny is that IS what we were told while hiking in bear country...to wear bells or sing while walking in order not to startle the bears...I think I even remember something about pepper spray...