Based upon years of visiting and camping in bear-prone areas, I’d say bears are smarter than a lot of people. When you ignore warnings about proper food storage, it’s pretty much a open invitation to the bear to have a look-see at what might be for dinner. I know from personal experience.
On one of my early camping trips, I thought I could wedge a cooler really tight underneath a truck bumper and it would be safe. Uh-huh…that night there was a lot of ruckus over by where the truck was parked. Yep, the next morning, the cooler was laying open and well-ransacked about 20ft from the truck. I learned my lesson and haven’t had a problem since.
I thought “bear kegs” was a typo of “beer kegs”. I thought, no wonder Yellow Yellow was killed. You go after someone’s beer keg, that’s just asking to be shot.
I don’t know about averages, but pandas are probably the most stupid animals ever. Refusing to screw to save your own species takes “stupid” to a new level.
Actually, there’s a facility in West Yellowstone that does exactly that, at least in a directed sense.
It’s kind of an Alcatraz for incorrigible bears, and they use them to test “bear-proof” trash cans and storage bins. :dubious:
They also rotate the bears on display, and have an option for kids to go into the display pen while the bears aren’t there and hide meat treats for the bears coming in next.
I don’t know where I read this, but someone proposed that bears were extremely intelligent in the animal kingdom, and if they weren’t apex predators based on their physical attributes alone they would have evolved into the niche of an intelligent species instead of humans. Essentially, he was saying they don’t have the need to be any more intelligent, not needing to build shelters, make clothing, or make weapons. I don’t recall the lack of social skills being mentioned though.
ETA: MacLir, I think they do something like that in Canada for the polar bears also.
