More On Bears & Bear Maulings
PURSUING PHOTOS & PROSE With Kayaks, Mountain bikes, Backpacks, Daypacks, Walking Sticks, Fishing Poles—and an Airstream Travel Trailer
Grizzly Bear Skull
©Bert Gildart: As we prepare to depart for a camping trip to Kintla Lake In Glacier National Park, it is impossible not to think about bears, both black and grizzly. The two species are an integral part of the heritage many of us would like to see preserved, but to dramatize their possible impact on man, I photographed this skull to emphasize that bears must be treated with respect. In that manner most tragedies will be prevented and pressure on bears will then be averted. The picture was made (and that’s the correct word), by placing a black cloth on a table located adjacent to a wall. There remained a considerable length of cloth, which I pinned to the wall behind the head. I photograhed the setup with a 2- 1/4 Hasselblad, and the resulting detail was impressive. I then used the photo as a backdrop for evaluating the many maulings that have occurred in Glacier, and those results will appear in an upcoming guide book about Glacier and the Flathead Valley. With luck the book will be on the market by Christmas. Some of the past misfortunes have resulted from the absolute arrogance of visitors, several of whom lured bears into their cars so they might photograph them next to their children. A few records extracted from the many show reports as follows:
1939: 3 persons injured when they fed bears; 3 others injured while watching those who were feeding; 1 injury when visitor stepped between sow and cub…
1941: Lone unknown bear climbed on running board, pulled windshield and broke it…
1947: 4 personal injuries to visitor while feeding bears of unknown species…
1948: 2 people injured by black bears while feeding them chocolates. Woman scratched below eye; man scratched on lip…
1958: While walking with dog, lone GB attacked…
Black Bear
Incidents of that type occurred prior to the first fatal maulings in Glacier National Park in 1967. At that time, the park recognized some inherent problems of its own, specifically the incredible buildup of garbage.In 1967 I was working in Glacier as a seasonal ranger and once helped the chief ranger of the time sack up and load into a helicopter 17 burlap sacks of garbage from the Trout Lake area. Garbage, as I reported for a major story in Smithsonian Magazine, had contributed directly to the park’s first two fatal maulings, one at Granite Park Chalet, the other at Trout Lake. Both occurred the same night in 1967. Today, garbage is gone from all backcountry campsites and park managers are pretty much on top of things. People caught feeding bears are immediately cited, and dogs are no longer allowed on backcountry trails in the park, and there’s a very good reason for the rule. If a dog is loose, and it encounters a bear, it will return to its owner for protection. Now, if you see a bear, generally it will be under completely natural conditions, and most likely, it will run. For all these reasons, I feel much safer sleeping on the ground in a tent–as we’ll be doing at Kintla–than I do driving to the park.
