After Yellowstone attacks, officials renew effort to get grizzly safety message to the public

Washington Post ^ | 11-1-11

[SJackson]

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife agencies in the Northern Rockies go to lengths to warn people of the dangers of grizzly country — from signs advising hikers to carry Mace-like bear spray to radio ads that warn hunters to take care when stalking elk in bear habitat.

But after two hikers were fatally mauled in Yellowstone National Park over the summer, officials acknowledge their drive to make visitors “bear aware” is not reaching everyone. As a result, park officials, bear biologists and others say that in coming months they plan to sharpen a bear safety message that was already under review in hopes of preventing future maulings.

“We thought we were doing pretty good,” said park biologist Kerry Gunther, pointing to a 30-year average of one bear-caused human injury annually in Yellowstone. “Maybe we were getting lucky.”

Many bear education campaigns focus on saving the animals themselves, part of a broader effort to recover a species once nearly wiped out by hunting and other pressures. Slogans such as “a fed bear is a dead bear” highlight the increased likelihood of bears becoming nuisances — and getting euthanized — if they get used to eating human food or garbage.

[Godzilla]

there is a reason they are called “tourons” I’ll bet more than anything that the wolves are cutting into the griz food sources and they are just responding by expanding their food chain.

[Stonewall Jackson]

When I go hiking over in Red River Gorge, I always carry. The husband of one of my sister’s coworkers was mauled last summer, and I have seen tracks, scat, and a clawed tree while hiking there.

[TheOldLady]

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[DouglasKC]

Many bear education campaigns focus on saving the animals themselves, part of a broader effort to recover a species once nearly wiped out by hunting and other pressures. Slogans such as “a fed bear is a dead bear” highlight the increased likelihood of bears becoming nuisances — and getting euthanized — if they get used to eating human food or garbage.

I have an idea. Instead of making people feel sorry for bears how about telling people that the bears will kill and eat them and not have second thought about it? How about putting pictures around the park of corpses that have been eaten by bears?