Bears, especially Brown Bears (Grizzlies) are dangerous and unpredictable critters.

[Winterblues]

The state of Alaska has issued important guidelines for tourists and anyone that wants to watch bears in the wild. They recommend you get no closer than a hundred feet and in many places where bears congregate for fish there are wardens that will issue citations if you get too close. This is for everyone's safety. You and the bears..For Sarah Palin to film herself and her husband fishing within fifty feet of a group of grizzly bears is extremely negligent on their part.. How many people that watched that and admire Sarah as some smart intelligent women capable of becoming President would now think since Sarah could get so close there should be no problem with them getting that close as well..How many lives might that bit of stupidity cost? Whether it be a bears life for protecting it's food or a human life for harassing bears while feeding. Sarah keeps proving she really is uncaring for anyone other than herself and her immediate family..IMO it isn't so much the fact she violated Alaska's guidelines/regulations blatantly but that by doing so she sets into motion the probability others will follow her actions..

[Tippy]

1. K&R....for truth.......Bears don't care what your politics are.

[pinto]

2. Agree. I tend to avoid all things Palin, but caught that photo op.

Way out of line on a number of points. :hi:

[JVS]

3. In her case, I'll let it slide.

In fact, I encourage her to continue such reckless behavior.

[Urban Prairie]

4. The Palin clan being filmed so close to that bear, was just a stunt to demonstrate

their wild frontier bravery and rugged "Daniel Boone" lifestyle that they are capable of resorting to if was to become necessary. We here in the lower 48 are soft, lazy, and dependent on modern conveniences, and we don't possess their superior hunter/fisher/trapper survivalist skills.

:sarcasm:

[John1956PA]

5. That clip showed her making a gasp upon being startled when a bear jumped.

That scene (like all the others) was presented for theatrical effect. The entire show is meant to promote Palin's outdoor image. However, I am not sure that making a gasp when a bear suddenly moves is consistent with the behavior of an outdoors person. Also, I think that the scenes may have been edited to enhance the story line.

[global1]

12. What You Probably Didn't See Is.........

a boat next to hers with sharpshooters with high powered rifles ready to shoot to kill the bear if it made a move toward Palin.

We already know that there was a boat with photographers filming her. I'm sure that they took some precautions to protect themselves just in case.

[razorman]

6. Just ask Timothy Treadwell. Oh, wait. You can't.

[closeupready]

8. He was psychologically ill.

I saw footage of him in Grizzly Man, and he had a good heart, but was so out there mentally.

[littlewolf]

14. you are correct ... unfortunately he took

his girl friend with him ....

[razorman]

23. Yes. That made the incident even sadder.

[razorman]

24. Unfortunately, good intentions don't mean much in the wild.

Mother Nature is not the kind, understanding entity of a Disney-esque world.
She is a cruel, vicious bitch.

[closeupready]

26. Right you are. I linked a story below about two campers, all set up proper, who were mauled anyway

by a particularly aggressive grizzly who did not fear people and did not behave as grizzlies 'should'. The full article is quite interesting and scary.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. I think her whole frontier wonder woman schtick is just a pose,

or she'd KNOW how quickly a bear can cross 50, or even 100, feet.

That said, I have no doubt that off camera there were two guys with very big guns, just in case. She may be stupid, but she's not stupid.

[EFerrari]

10. She's an idiot. And it came out during the McCain cammpaign

that it was her dad who hunts on her tag. At best, she can probably bring down a microwave meal at close range.

[DirkGently]

20. Stop that.

Fresca is very irritating to the nasal passages.

:spray:

[HuckleB]

18. She is stupid.

Luckily for her, the film crew is probably a bit smarter.

[elocs]

9. "Are Grizzly Bears Dangerous?"

http://www.grizzlybay.org/LearnMore/AreGrizzliesDangerous.html

Many people when they learn of our close work with grizzlies think that either we're insanely brave or just insane. The answer is neither and the truth is that thousands of tourists observe grizzly bears up close every summer in Alaska. All kinds of inexperienced people, from small children to senior citizens, safely get close to grizzly bears in Katmai National Park. In Brooks Camp alone there are 300-400 people that fly in every day for the chance to observe wild grizzlies up close. Visitors go through a mandatory 20 minute training presentation on bear safety, and then they are free to walk around on their own. Park rangers direct human traffic and guide visitors near the viewing platforms, but no visitor is formally "guided" while walking anywhere in the area. The park has been doing this for decades and there has never been an accident, thanks to the bears.

--------snip--------

Peaceful coexistence between humans and grizzlies is indeed possible, if only we give them a chance. People claim all the time that grizzly bears are unpredictable and that is simply not the truth. They are very predictable if you take the time to understand them. In many areas in Alaska (including the Katmai Preserve) humans are friendly towards bears during the summer bear viewing season and then hunt them in the fall during hunting season. I think its pretty obvious who is unpredictable. Humans and bears can peacefully coexist if we can only get past the false stereotype that bears are scary, relentless, unpredictable, mankillers and instead see the true grizzly bear. That is the goal of this website. For more on peaceful coexistence with grizzlies be sure and read Charlie Russell's book Grizzly Heart which is about his groundbreaking work with grizzlies in remote Kamchatka, Russia.

[NV Whino]

11. I don't see a mom with cubs in those photos

That is part of the predictability. Stay far away from mothers with cubs.

[uppityperson]

15. Yes, they can be. Like people. Avoid some situations, be aware and careful, but there are assholes

Why do they continue to refer to them as "grizzlies" when true Alaskans call them brownies? That page's "facts" are very funny. You can show anything with statistics.

OF COURSE they are dangerous and somewhat unpredictable, like people are.

[Winterblues]

19. You may be correct, I can't say for sure but I have lived in Alaska

for about sixty four years. I rarely call them brownies but I have heard that expression. I also rarely call them grizzlies. I did so in this thread because so many people don't know that there is no real difference between the two..I just refer to them as bears and sometimes as black bears when that happens to be the case. Where I usually roam there are no black bears. They are usually only on the mainland and when I am out and about in the wilderness it is rarely on the mainland..If I have a bear encounter, 99 times out of a hundred, it is going to be with a brown bear..:shrug:

[uppityperson]

21. Perhaps living in SE where I did, we differentiated them

Where I usually roam there are both, most encounters are black bears in town and in the bush where I lived, but with brownies down near the water. Could be a regional thing, thinking of it, depending on who is around.

Thanks for posting this, having a Role Model model irresponsible behavior is worth speaking out about. Even if were people like Tim Treadwell who got hurt, it still hurts the bears.

[EFerrari]

25. At all the bear lectures in Yosemite, the ranger says we have brown bears,

not grizzlies. Must be confusing for people from up north.

[HuckleB]

17. They're not fishing are they?

If a bear learns that humans fishing means humans doing the work for the bears, then things get dangerous. I've seen areas shut down to fishing simply because a Ranger found a group or an individual doing what Palin was doing.

The Palins are idiots, and Alaskans who actually know anything about being outdoors are now getting to see that for themselves.

[EFerrari]

22. I detest people who try to prove they can get close to bears.

Because when things go wrong, it's the bear that is put down.

[closeupready]

13. Here's a story of a grizzly attack from 2005, where the bear actually swam AFTER its prey:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0510/whats_new/anwr_grizzly_attacks.html

>>A rare grizzly attack in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may be a sign of more than just bear trouble.

On the afternoon of June 25, Robert Thompson, an Inupiat rafting guide, was floating with two clients down the Hulahula River in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) when he observed a blond adult grizzly bear lording over a wrecked campsite in an alcove beneath a low tundra bluff. Thompson could see scattered gear, a mangled tent, and the shredded remains of two inflatable kayaks. He hoped the campers were off somewhere hiking.

When he stopped the raft to get a better look, the bear suddenly charged. Thompson and his clients paddled frantically away, but the bear splashed into the river and began swimming after them. For half a mile (.8 kilometers) the bear alternately swam, clambered to shore, and ran after the raft. It was gaining on them.

When it got within 40 feet (12 meters), the seasoned guide yanked his handgun from his drybag, but resisted the impulse to fire a warning shot, opting instead to save his bullets in case he had to drop it. But just then, the fast water slammed the grizzly into a boulder, which it climbed on to, snuffing at the rafters from this perch as the swift current carried them downriver. It continued the pursuit, half-heartedly now, and after 15 terrifying minutes, it finally gave up the chase. A shaken Thompson called for help on his satellite phone.<<

The article goes on to state that wildlife authorities in Alaska fear that increased tourism may lead to an increase reportage of bear attacks.

So Sarah Palin's photo op is extremely irresponsible, IMO, on several levels.

[uppityperson]

16. She is demonstrating irresponsible behavior indeed. Being a poor role model

by showing you can do what she does, ignore the rules, etc.

Big problem with causing a bear incident is not only do you get hurt, but the bear/s will most likely also.

[bluedigger]

27. Isn't her show on The Learning Channel?

I'm just sayin'...:banghead:

[dreamnightwind]

28. Darwin award nomination

"How many people that watched that and admire Sarah as some smart intelligent women capable of becoming President would now think since Sarah could get so close there should be no problem with them getting that close as well."

The lord Darwin works in mysterious ways.

Ending their lives as bear snacks would be the best use of such people.