How Dangerous Are Black Bears? - Page 6© Gerald Eugene Smith
Page 6
Mar 23, 1999
I am sorry here to be so gruesome and graphic, but Americans must be warned that Canadian black bears are a whole different breed, especially along the Alaska Highway. They must not be treated in the cavalier way that U.S. bears are so often treated. You should show the same respect for them that you would show to grizzlies - i.e. keep your distance! Some Americans have been badly injured when they attempted to approach black bears along the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway to feed or photograph, and were instead attacked and knocked down by the bear which then tried to drag them off into the woods to be devoured. Fortunately, there were other people present who succeeded in driving the bear from its prey. I have read descriptions of really weird and disturbing aggressive behavior patterns from these bears that has no counterpart south of the border. Do as the Canadians do and avoid wild bears! I feel the necessity to impress my readers with the seriousness of this warning justifies the vivid and macabre account I have given above.
Liard Hot Springs has an unfortunate record with respect to bears. A camping entomologist was eaten in the night, probably by a grizzly, in the early '70s. A couple of years before the recent incident, a predacious black bear terrorized some visitors. He jumped into the popular Alpha hot pool and chased the swimmers around, finally cornering a Texas man by the stairs. The Texan punched him in the nose, which made the bear back up enough for 3 men to throw a heavy bench over the railing onto the animal. He fled, but was finally shot by the rangers as he chased screaming tourists around the parking lot. I have had some rather testy words via E-Mail with an official at Liard who accused me of sensationalist exaggeration, but the above really happened. There are ongoing lawsuits over the recent deaths, so I can't blame this fellow for being sensitive about it, nor for not wanting to reveal inside information. He has a real appreciation and understanding of the local bears. Although I am sure that the Liard officials are taking extraordinary measures to protect visitors, I would still be very careful if I were you. Liard is a beautiful and unique place well worth visiting and very popular with travellers on the Alaska Highway. Just don't feed the bears!
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