Another Yellowstone grizzly attack, different outcome

[Chip]

Herrero notes that people are likely to behave differently when they have firearms.

He also notes that most bear charges are bluff charges and I suspect that a number of bears will get shot while bluff charging. If a bear gets pepper-sprayed unnecessarily, no harm is done. The same cannot be said for getting shot.

Doug

It would be interesting to know (though I'm sure it's not possible to determine) how many bluff charges result in a wounded bear that now is PO'd and really attacks . Or if the idea of a PO'd bear is myth because it requires abstract reasoning.

 

[Little Rickie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction

I wish I understood this.

 

[Bob]

Herrero states that his records show most attacks are on groups of one or two and show no attacks on groups of six or more. (I presume the group needs to stick together for all to be counted. Small children may not count as a full person (in the bear's math).)

Ref: Herrero, Stephen, "Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance", The Lyons Press, 2002, pg 5.

Doug

http://www.adn.com/2011/07/24/1983379/grizzly-sow-attacks-group-of-seven.html

well so much for the 'Experts'...maybe those 7 could've brought the book and thrown it at the bear.

 

[DougPaul]

Herrero states that his records show most attacks are on groups of one or two and show no attacks on groups of six or more. (I presume the group needs to stick together for all to be counted. Small children may not count as a full person (in the bear's math).)

Ref: Herrero, Stephen, "Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance", The Lyons Press, 2002, pg 5.

http://www.adn.com/2011/07/24/1983379/grizzly-sow-attacks-group-of-seven.html

well so much for the 'Experts'...maybe those 7 could've brought the book and thrown it at the bear.

Note the original statement: "his records ... show no attacks on groups of six or more". Just because it hasn't been recorded in the past doesn't mean that it can't happen in the future, but the past is simply the best we have for predicting the future.

If you read the article carefully, it states that the group was in a line as they crossed the creek and the first was out of sight of the others when he began screaming (and was presumably under attack or being threatened by the bear). Thus at the moment of initial attack, the bear may not have been aware of the others and he (the victim) may effectively have been a group of one.

The safety in (large) groups only applies if you stay close together so the bear is aware of the entire group.

Doug

 

[TrishandAlex]

The safety in (large) groups only applies if you stay close together so the bear is aware of the entire group.

Doug

Good point.