High Sierra Topix

7 people attacked by bears in other states over the weekend, including a sleeping camper in Colorado. I wonder what makes our high sierra bears so comparatively mellow? When was the last time a hiker in the sierra was injured by a bear for no apparent reason? I don't recall reading anything in decades.

I think this happened last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X7xqZaTuk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-Russ

jessegooddog wrote: I wonder what makes our high sierra bears so comparatively mellow?

The benign California climate and being well-fed play a large role, quite likely.

I watched the video - the bear was after a cooler outside the tent, the guy went out to defend the cooler...bear ended up getting shot. Idiots.

Black bears are generally non aggressive to humans. Just don't get between them and their young or their food. We have black bears all around us here in the Applachians, and seldom hear of human attacks.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5683&start=0&hilit=bear+attacks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As a twentysomething, there were probably a lot more dangerous black bears here in California than now. Authorities killed lots of human habituated to food bears decades ago and then began executing repeat problem bears after some managed to return to problem areas after being dumped elsewhere miles away. I can certainly recall some I met in northeastern Yosemite back in those days that were aggressive and mean.

I will speculate most remaining California black bears have been habituated to the dangers of humans and sows teach their cubs. There are still some remote forested areas here in California where humans rarely visit and any bear in such areas ought to be considered potentially more dangerous. Especially up in the Trinity and Salmon River wilderness areas. In more remote Canada areas where some black bears are more likely to have never had human encounters, serious attacks have always been more common.

jessegooddog wrote:I wonder what makes our high sierra bears so comparatively mellow?

The illegal, large scale marijuana groves?

caddis wrote:

jessegooddog wrote:I wonder what makes our high sierra bears so comparatively mellow?

The illegal, large scale marijuana groves?

They're more dangerous than the bears...

In SE Alaska, the black bears are just as feared as grizzlies because they will actually eat you, whereas a grizzly will sometimes let you off with just a good mauling.

Sierra black bears are like wary, over-sized pu$$y cats.