Anyone planning to visit Yosemite should read today's article in The San Francisco Chronicle on problems with black bears. You can find the newspaper at

www.sfgate.com

Search for "Black bears hungry, smart, and feeling too much at home," by Kelley St. John.

Please make that "Kelly." Sorry.

The black bears in Yosemite have been a problem that is getting worse. In years past, they have been known to rip the backpacks off hikers because they know those sacks often contain food.

I watched a mother bear do "surgery" on a garbage can once a few years ago.
She walked up to it, and slapped it hard with her paw. The can jumped out of its container and hit the ground. She walked over to the can again and knocked it against a large boulder so hard that the well-fastened lid popped off. Then she fished out about half a loaf of bread and slit it open like a surgeon with a scapel. Her cubs hurried over for a snack.

Mother bear obviously knew what she was doing. Our presence was no deterrant at all. Once bears get habituated like that, they are indeed dangerous because nothing about people scares them.

Deterrent
OOPS I should know not to use big words I cannot spell.

Good article. I suggest reading it.

In the Smokies, the hiking shelters have bear fences. They are a nuisance in that park, too.

We just returned from British Columbia where we learned about the Korelian bear dogs. In a pack of about 4-6 of them, they can't help themselves but to chase a bear until it's tree'd. Apparently it's a territorial dispute between the dogs and the bears that the dogs win. The bear stays tree'd for awhile, with the dogs at the base, and it's usually all it takes to keep the bear from returning.
They are lobbying to be able to bring the dogs into the Banff area to combat the problem with nuisance grizzles that they end up killing b/c of bear/people encounters. Problem is, the Canadian law states that the wildlife is not to be harassed, and this includes being harassed by domestic dogs. Once that loophole is fixed, it looks as though they might have a humane solution to their bear problem. Perhaps we will follow suit if it's successful.