King of the Forest
The first thing I do when arriving at my campsite is check for bear activity. Of course I do this throughout our trip. Some signs are tracks, scat (droppings) and overturned rocks. My favorite one is digging.
Black and grizzly bears feed on vegetation such as berries, nuts, leaves and flowers. The grizzly will also feed on animal carcass. Both like to feast on fish, so watch that line out there in the river! Some fisherman have lost their catch to a hungry bear.
The appearance of these bears can be deceiving at times. I've seen black bears that are black as coal and brown, while some may also be blonde. Grizzlies can be cinnamon, brown, blonde and black. The grizzly has a shoulder hump and the black bear does not. The length of the grizzly can be six to seven feet and when standing on its hind legs it could make Michael Jordan look short. Some bears have been known to stand eight feet!
The number of grizzlies have fallen over the years dramatically. This is due in part by habitat destruction and the ongoing conflict with humans. Glacier National Park has come up with a way to census the grizzly bears within the park. They use DNA fingerprinting. This study involves collecting DNA from the hairs of a bear. They can determine sex typing and identification and population trends for both species.
Between 1800 and 1975, grizzly bear populations decreased from more than 50,000 to less than 1,000 (source:U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services). The recovery of the grizzly bear has had some success. The grizzly was listed as a threatened species in 1975. In 1983, the Department of the Interior created the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee to work to recover bears in the lower 48 states. If you would like to read the Endangered Species Act then go here.
All wildlife can be dangerous! Please keep your distance and don't feed any animal. Keep your food put away and garbage where it belongs. Your safety and theirs depends on this. No one can predict what situation will bring an attack. Your best option of avoiding a confrontation is to view wildlife from a safe distance.
The manner in which this animal roams and rules the forest is transcendent. It has grace, wisdom, strength and beauty. It knows when to protect and senses when to back off. They mean us
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