Oddly enough, the bear was known to take an after-dinner nap with a Timothy Treadwell.
A couple of years ago the bear population in the Smokies was two per square mile. The total number of bears has increased by 25% since then according to what I heard from a ranger on the news this morning.
One of the park rangers did get off a shot at the bear in question. If they kill a wounded bear in the area, they will know that they have the one who killed the child. Other than that, I’m not certain that they will know.
From a few years of bear behaviour courses and our somewhat agressive questioning of those with experience, much as you’d expect those venturing into the surf would question locals about sharks, my stated impression is that the black bear is an inherently more unstable and unpredctable beast than the brown. The brown has a more fearsome reputation, but that’s likely because of the formidable weapons at his disposable. Simply put, a griz dwarfs a blackie. The black though is the one that, given the choice, I’d keep my front sight upon.
Treadwell spent one whole heck of a lot of time among browns and was none the worse for it. My impression, based on news reports and the length of time since anyone was hurt by a black bear in Tennessee, is that the thing almost assuredly had to have been sick.
“How will you know?” Chances are the disease will manifest itself in obvious behavioral inconsistencies.
I was under the impression that the blacks and browns were simply colour variations, much like black and grey squirrels. Or did you mean browns and grizzlies?
We have a stuffed brown and brown and grizzly skins at the zoo. The claws are probably a couple of inches long and the teeth are pretty impressive too. I hadn’t really realized just how dangerous that set of weapons was until I saw 'em up close.
Hey, FluffyBob, was your friend’s story written up in a Reader’s Digest? I think I read it.
No “they” didn’t. Treadwell was an idiot, at best, previous thread on same, his experiences should not be held up as an example of anything, much less what is expected grizz behavior. He engaged in about every activity a person should not, and predictably paid the ultimate price for it. Idiot.
To clarify, not calling you an idiot, but Treadwell.
No, I think browns and grizzlies are the same animal. From here
Taken from the shit in the woods.
carnivorousplant, yes I agree that ALL bears should be considered as very dangerous and treated with respect. Grizzlies certainly do eat humans, we had such a case last summer in Canmore, AB. It is just that most Grizzly attacks are threat reactions, Grizzlies are very territorial and our upright walking position is an aggressive posture for a Grizzly.
Part of the problem is that when you do see a bear they are usually timmid and often appear surprisingly gentle as they go about their business of foraging. Their diet is mostly vegetarian and they spend a lot of time pleasantly munching away in idyllic meadows, yet ferocious predation is also a part of their style. A grizzly will tear up earth with a fury to dig up ground squirrels, chase down sick or young game and eat carrion when they can.
zoogirl, yes there was an account in Readers Digest, and on a National Geographic TV program. My friend refused both interviews out of a need for privacy, and there was a fair amount of hard feelings. The writer of the article was on the scene and took pictures as my friend was being given first aid despite being asked to stop. He originally talked with National Geographic but felt that the bent being taken was sensationalistic and asked that they refrain from using images with him in them. They had no compuction about showing video taken at the scene of the first attack while his screams can be heard in the background. Ive havent seen the program as you may guess.
I take pepper spray and a bear banger when Im in the mountains and make a lot of noise. The noise means you see a lot less wildlife. A lot of people scoff at these devices, and being non lethal they obviously have their limits, but used properly they have been shown to be effective and are far more useful than bare hands.
He was indeed an idiot. 
I was under the impression that a bear he wasn’t familiar with came into camp, and, well, just killed and ate them like any other prey.
Hmmm, me too, maybe we are saying the same thing, anywho, the docu on him was well done I thought, but I found it tough to generate sympathy for the fellow.
You should have known better than to be in bed with Honey.
The beast’s fate wouldst seem a foregone conclusion.
The Google ads are all for bearskin rugs…
It wasn’t me! ::runs::
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12309606/
"Officers detected some “bear activity” around the traps and snares that were rigged Friday in the remote Cherokee National Forest Chilhowee Recreation Area, said Sharon Moore, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.
If any bears are trapped, a comparison with hairs shed during the attack will identify the responsible animal, Moore said."
bolding mine
They say they got it.
I’m not too sure I’m happy that they’re going to euthanize, then ID. It’s not as though they couldn’t anesthesize it and ID, then decide what to do.
Yes, I know that, given individual territories, it’s probably the one, but I’d be happier if they’d do the ID before killing it.
I think he was referring the grizzlies. And yes, a black bear can actually range in color from a light brown/cinnamon, to dark black. The bear that attacked me was a light brown color.
There are three species of bears in North America, the American Black Bear Ursus americanus, the Brown Bear Ursus arctos, with several subspecies including the Grizzly Bear (ssp. horribilus), named for its “grizzled” coat color, and the Kodiak Bear (ssp. middendorffi) and the Polar Bear Ursus maritimus .
As has been mentioned, Black Bears are usually black but can also be dark brown, cinnamon, or silvery.
The Brown Bear is also widespread in Eurasia, with other subspecies there.
:eek:
And I don’t even remember.
A thread of this kind would be incomplete without the punchline, "Would you trust a lawyer who said the Czech is in the male?"