02-26-2006, 08:36 PM
Good find, guitarman. I read that myself last night.
This is what bugs me the most: "Experts also believe that he inadvertently endangered the animals by habituating them to humans, thus increasing the likelihood of dangerous encounters in the future."
That's a mistake too many people make. When I was in Yellowstone in 2004, we got stuck in a traffic jam (yeah, in the middle of the forest!). What was causing it?
A mother bear & her cubs were crossing the road. Everyone had stopped so they could get out of their cars and, literally, chase them in order to get that priceless souvenir photo. These people were no more than a few feet away from the animals.
The same thing happened quite a few other times while we were there when people encountered buffalo, elk & other animals on or at the side of the road.
I definitely don't agree with Timothy's approach to dealing with the bears, but that doesn't mean I don't still admire what he tried to accomplish.
This is what bugs me the most: "Experts also believe that he inadvertently endangered the animals by habituating them to humans, thus increasing the likelihood of dangerous encounters in the future."
That's a mistake too many people make. When I was in Yellowstone in 2004, we got stuck in a traffic jam (yeah, in the middle of the forest!). What was causing it?
A mother bear & her cubs were crossing the road. Everyone had stopped so they could get out of their cars and, literally, chase them in order to get that priceless souvenir photo. These people were no more than a few feet away from the animals.
The same thing happened quite a few other times while we were there when people encountered buffalo, elk & other animals on or at the side of the road.
I definitely don't agree with Timothy's approach to dealing with the bears, but that doesn't mean I don't still admire what he tried to accomplish.