Fatal Bear Attack in Denali

[bobatkins]

<p>The first fatal grizzly bear attack in Denali has been reported. The attack took place on August 24th. This is the first fatality by grizzy in Alaska since 2005, so it's a very rare event. No previous bear attack deaths in Denali have been reported in the 90 year history of the park.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>A camera found near the backpack showed that the hiker had photographed the bear for more than eight minutes and appeared to have come within 50 yards of the animal before he was attacked, Anderson said.<br /><br /> The photographs do not show the attack, Anderson said. "They show the bear grazing in the willows and not acting aggressive in any form or manner during that period of time," he said.<br /><br /> Park rules require people to stay a quarter-mile away from bears and to immediately back away at a slow pace if they find themselves to be closer.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So just a reminder that wild animals are wild (which means they are unpredictable) and that park rules are usually there for a good reason.</p>

<p>See <a href="http://www.adn.com/2012/08/25/2599545/hiker-killed-by-grizzly-bear-in.html">http://www.adn.com/2012/08/25/2599545/hiker-killed-by-grizzly-bear-in.html</a></p>

<p>

Here's a quote from an unrelated story about bear attacks in Alaska

<blockquote>

<p>

One problem: People getting too close to the animals with their cell-phone cameras without the zoom power of regular cameras, said Dave Battle, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

<p>

Such was the case of a young brown bear euthanized in late May after Fish and Game received numerous reports it was showing aggressive behavior like charging toward people near a popular trail south of Anchorage. In some cases, people were trying to get as close to it as they could with the camera phones.

<p>

Battle said he believes the rationale behind this behavior goes like this: "I want to get a picture, a close-up picture, so I can post it on Facebook and all my friends from all around the country can see what a neat place I live in."

<p>

<a href="http://www.adn.com/2012/06/12/2501651/bird-creek-bear-victim-pleads.html#</blockquote>storylink=cpy">http://www.adn.com/2012/06/12/2501651/bird-creek-bear-victim-pleads.html#storylink=cpy</a>

[Former P.N Member]

<p>Taken with a 430mm equivalent - would not want to be any closer.</p><div></div>

[lisae]

<p>Very sad and very frustrating. We visited Denali with my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. We took the shuttle bus into the interior of the park. It allowed us to see and photograph several grizzlies from the bus. At that time I had a P&S, but my dad got some great shots using a 70-300mm.</p>

<p>Giving the hiker the benefit of the doubt; it may have truly been an accident that he got so close, so I'm speaking generally here....</p>

<p>I understand why people want to backpack. I don't understand why people don't respect the wildlife enough to give them distance. Denali is set up so that people are an intrusion in most areas of the park. That gives visitors a unique glimpse into a wild place. In return, visitors need to be good guests and follow the rules.</p>

<p>Editing to add: just read the article (an update to what I read earlier) and it looks like the hiker didn't retreat as he should have. Very frustrating.</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>Anyone who does bear photography should first understand bear behavior. But that alone will not guarantee your safety. That goes for black bears also, not just grizzlies. </p>

 

<p>BEAR ATTACKS, their causes and avoidance by Stephen Herrero is an excellent source of information, and I would highly recommend it not only to photographers, but to all who enter bear habitat.</p>

 

<p>A search in Wikipedia for fatal bear attacks will list the fatal attacks on humans in the U.S. and Canada.<br>

 <br>

 <br>

 </p>

[bobatkins]

<p>Personally, if I see a bear in the wild, I'll be moving AWAY from it, not towards it.</p>

<p>I've seen some pretty dumb tourists move in dangerously close (within a few feet) to bison and moose (both potentially quite dangerous), but it would need someone with an extraordinary lack of common sense to move towards a Grizzly in the wild. While some bears may <em>seem </em>uninterested in humans, more than one viewer has found to their cost that that situation can change very quickly.</p>

[Mike Howard]

<p>Same thing goes for mountain lions. While hiking in Guadalupe National Park, I ran into one, maybe about 200 yards out. I made myself big and backed away, never saw her again, but was paranoid the whole rest of the hike (about 2 miles left to go). All I could think about the whole time was wishing I had one of those back of head masks like they used to use in India lol. I did get about 8 rolls of wonderful shots on that hike, though, and would do it again in a heart beat.</p>

[dave_wilson1]

Any animal in the wild can give you a fierce challenge if they feel uncomfortable. I was attacked by a turkey one day and

had to fend him off with a fishing rod. Racoons and even small possums can be a whirl wind with very treacherous claws

and teeth, so approaching bears in their environment is just stupid. And don't underestimate a stray cat in your shed or garage if you startle them.

[peter_e]

<p>The best streategy in bear country is to travel in groups of 4 or more. Photographers tend to work by themselves and are thus particularly exposed. I've done it myself many times, always with some unease. Let's gang up when possible and avoid unnecessary risks.</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>A good friend is in Denali right now and was in the park that day. I'm glad to have heard from him before hearing this news from multiple media sources.</p>

[cwphoto]

<p>I have been photographing large bears several times. Speak softly & carry a big lens.</p>

[JamesFarabaugh]

<p>No sympathy for the bear that was subsequently exterminated? The guy illegally entered an area that was off limits ("The area of the Denali backcountry where the attack occurred has been closed -- prohibiting all hiking and camping in that area -- "until further notice," the park service said."), and provoked the bear by staying in the area taking photographs for at least 8 minutes. Thanks to his lack of respect for the rules and lack of respect for nature the bear had to be killed. My sympathies to mother nature.</p>

[randywilson]

<p>When I go into black bear country at night I try to make a lot of noise, as black bears tend to be less aggressive than grizzlies and will usually try to avoid contact with humans. </p>

[photomark]

James, it's my understanding that the park closed the area after the incident. He did not enter a closed

area.

[kerry_grim]

"If people persist in trespassing upon the grizzlies' territory, we must accept the fact that the grizzlies, from

time to time, will harvest a few trespassers" Edward Abbey

[dave_wilson1]

You can't fix "stupid", but you all know that already.

[bobatkins]

<p>"Grizzly Man" - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/</a> - should be required viewing before hiking in Grizzly country.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>A docudrama that centers on amateur grizzly bear expert Timothy Treadwell. He periodically journeyed to Alaska to study and live with the bears. He was killed, along with his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, by a rogue bear in October 2003. </p>

</blockquote>

<p>99% of the time the bears will probably leave you alone. It's the 1% that you simply can't predict. If you follow the rules (make noise and slowly walk AWAY from the bear if you see one), you can minimize (but not eliminate) the risk.</p>

[tonybynum]

I photograph grizzly bears about 15 days a year. I can say that no matter how much you know (and it

helps to know and have a lot of experience around them) when youre time is up, it's up. . . They are wild

and they do not all behave the same no matter how much you know about them, there is risk. That part

that sucks is that in almost 100 years no one has been killed let alone eaten and now with our regulatory

hungry government things may change for the worse. The National Park System is always closing more

and more of our back country - talk about fixing stupid. I wonder if the man had bear spray if it was deployed? I wrote about this issue recently on one of my blogs . . . glacier park photographer dot com .

. .

[g dan mitchell]

"The guy illegally entered an area that was off limits ("The area of the Denali backcountry where the attack occurred has

been closed -- prohibiting all hiking and camping in that area -- "until further notice," the park service said."), and

provoked the bear by staying in the area taking photographs for at least 8 minutes. Thanks to his lack of respect for the

rules and lack of respect for nature the bear had to be killed. My sympathies to mother nature."

 

I believe the closure you refer to occurred FOLLOWING the attack and was due to the attack. You just made this up,

right?

 

There are risks involved in photographing lots of kinds of wildlife - not just bears. (I actually had one of my biggest scares

from a lone caribou.) The is also no question that we see dangerous and ignorant behavior around wildlife. However, one

of the most bizarre things related to attacks like this is often the emergence of know-it-all instant wildlife "experts" with no

experience or real knowledge, but an over-abundant willingness to make inane pronouncements and share naive "advice"

concerning topics they no little about.

[scott_ferris]

<p>You don't need to be a wildlife expert to know Richard White and Timothy Treadwell both broke the rules that were put in place to protect them. They paid a very high price for intentionally breaking those rules, so did the bears.</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>G Dan is right that any wildlife can be quite frighening if they decide you are trespassing on their space, or if they are simply having a bad day. I had an experience with a very large moose in Yellowstone that brought that home. I felt like I had left a lot of space, but what I learned is how fast a full-sized moose can accelerate and run. </p>

[tonybynum]

oops i put the wrong information down about where to find the article about what we should or should not

do about the unfortunate situation in denali. If anyone cares to read it it's on another blog i have on my

site tony bynum .com /blog

[howhof]

<p>I just spent a few days in Sequoia National Park. On the Moro Rock trail, about half way in, I came across a black bear and a cub about 60 feet in front of me and my family. We started talking loudly and the bears took notice and started walking away, (as we were slowly backing up). The bear paused and sat down directly in front of a sequoia with a fire scar. We were hiking near mid-day and the over head light provided separation of the bear to the fire scar. A beautiful image indeed, except for the fact i didn't take it, because I was backing up to give the bears their space. I know people get very excited when seeing wildlife up close, but they truly need to follow safety procedures and still have to hope that the animal follows their usual protocol.</p>

[kerry_grim]

National Park Service morning report for 8:31:

 

Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)

Investigation Underway Into Fatal Bear Attack

 

Following two days of rain and poor weather conditions, rangers were able to return to the site of the

fatal bear attack on Tuesday to continue the investigation of the incident. They were able to determine

where Richard White of San Diego had taken the images that were found in his digital camera. The

initial photos of the bear were shot at a distance of 75 yards from the bear, which at that time had its

head down in the vegetation, browsing on berries. Other images, including the last five where the bear’s

head was up, looking at and moving toward the backpacker, were taken at a distance of 60 yards. Most

of the backcountry units that were closed as a result of the incident are now open. Unit 10, where the

attack took place, will remain closed for the next few days for continued monitoring and investigation.

The unit encompasses an area of almost 50 square miles.

[submitted by Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer]

[william_h._wiley]

<p>I'm not a park ranger and don't have a Ph.D. in biology, but I've done extensive wildlife photography Denali, Yellowstone and elsewhere and I have to say that over the years I've grown more and more astounded that so many people seem to have no concept about what "wild" truly means. Not only do they not recognize the inherent danger of being close to wild animals, but they also appear to have no understanding or concern about the ramifications of their actions and how they can potentially alter wildlife behaviors. So many times I've witnessed individuals regard bears, wolves and other creatures as simply stuffed animals from Target, as if they were cute, cuddly and wonderful to show on their Facebook page. It's like they truly don't understand that some animals are wild and have to remain wild simply to survive. However self righteous this sounds, I'm truly glad that my dad, the Boys Scouts, YMCA and other organizations greatly influenced my youth, as not only do I love nature and the wilderness, but I feel a responsibility to protect and preserve those and all forms of wildlife. There's no simple solution to this, other than education, awareness and experience. Based on some of the things I've witnessed over the years, I feel we have a monumental challenge. </p>

<p> </p>

[tonybynum]

Hm, @william, what's the "monumental challenge?" We're not sure if education, awareness or

experience would have changed the outcome of that situation. I'm not sure how many grizzly bears

you've been around but it's kinda like this. . . Remember when you were young, and you did a few

things that later you look back on and say, "wow, I was lucky to have made it through that experience?"

If you've spent much time with grizzly bears, and your photograph them regularly, and you want

photographs that show the bear up close you're going to be in a situation that's not altogether safe -

even with the longest and best lenses, and the best plans. Look at all the people that crowd around

coastal bears eating salmon, if you were following those rules - the one's you have to follow even when

youre on a bear photography workshop, in denali you'd be out of compliance and there are seldom

deaths. Just the other day some guy from eagle river was hiking and was mauled, he did not even

have a camera. What should we do, legislate no hiking in grizzly country? That does not mean its okay

to get closer - just because some people do it - it simply means that sometimes "$%& happens." I

believe I understand bear habits pretty well having live among them for many years. I dont know if

anyone is ever an expert no matter how much experience they have, as you've rightly pointed out, they

are wild and at times as much as we know, and as much experience as we have, they do

unpredictable things. . . I've experienced it myself and I've been lucky more than once. Even in "safe"

situations. As far as I can tell, this may have been the case here. No need to change anything, it is

what it is . . . continue to educate and inform, accidents happen. The ONLY way to stay 100% secure

is to stay home . . . Heck you might die stepping off the curb. . . What i wonder is if he had bear spray

and if he did, if he used it. . . If not, did he have time? What was he doing at the time? As was

pointed out, there's no evidence, based on the photographs, of aggressive, defensive, or offensive behavior from the bear. . . We dont know what happened, we do know that wild animals are wild and

sometimes they do unpredictable things. . . You said it yourself, they are wild. Wild means wild. . .

Are you thinking we need now to ban bear photography at McNeil River or Brooks falls? The truth is

I'm surprised there are not more incidents at those places, it's just a matter of time . . .