Polar Bears Kills Woman And Young Child in Wales (Anchorage: price, cabin)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Of course you haven't.

No, as white woman, I've never had the problems that you've had.

You said it was humor, and now say it wasn't humor. Again:

Yeah, that's not what I said at all. What I said pretty clearly was that it wasn't some kind of "special sauce Native humor."

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

We used to play against a team from the reservation in basketball. They were very mean. They would kick, scratch, and sometimes bite us. We hated when we had to play a game against them.

The Miccosukee tribe that we lived in the Everglades with, (they were just down the road from us), would talk to 1 guy where we worked and lived. They would not talk to anyone else. Another co-worker talked about taking a John boat out on a canal on the other side of the trail, and kept asking in a loud voice why they wouldn't talk to him or anyone else. That was before I ever got there, but they seriously will not talk to most white people unless they are selling something to white people. As for white females, one of the natives got into a wreck right outside where we worked. A female worker ran over to them and the guy in the truck refused to speak to her. He kept turning his head away. A male co-worker ran over, and the guy talked to him.

So, even though some people are levitating above the rest of us, the fact is, not all tribes act the same. For example, the Seminole tribe doesn't act like the Miccosukee.

I have never experienced something like that with Alaska Natives, and even Indians. The same for the Seneca Indians in Northern NY.

[ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?]

I submit the following comments below with all due respect to this tragedy, my heart goes out to the families of that woman and her child....

Originally Posted by Arktikos

The catchy saying for dealing with aggressive bears:

"If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, say goodnight!"

Would "If it's white, take flight" work? If you are irreversibly and unconditionally on the menu, what would be the downside to making a run for it?

Originally Posted by ketchikanite

Just because you see one doesn’t mean they want to eat you. There may be other food sources in the area that attracted them in the first place. Along Alaska’s north slope bears are often attracted by the whale carcasses that are left on the beach during whaling season.

So not so much a See-Food diet but more of a Seafood one?

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?

Would "If it's white, take flight" work? If you are irreversibly and unconditionally on the menu, what would be the downside to making a run for it?

The downside is that a fit (and probably hungry...hunger is quite an incentive) polar bear can run 25 mph. Depending on who you're talking about, an Olympic sprinter wearing minimal clothing and running on a level smooth dry surface might be clocked at about 26 mph. Most humans a polar bear encounters aren't in the same environment as an Olympic caliber sprinter.

[ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

The downside is that a fit (and probably hungry...hunger is quite an incentive) polar bear can run 25 mph. Depending on who you're talking about, an Olympic sprinter wearing minimal clothing and running on a level smooth dry surface might be clocked at about 26 mph. Most humans a polar bear encounters aren't in the same environment as an Olympic caliber sprinter.

I am assuming the message in the bear advice trio is that a starving Polar Bear will kill and eat you no matter what you do, you can stand up, lay down, run, recite Shakespeare, your toast in any scenario. There's always a tiny chance a bear has an injured foot, dislocated shoulder, will trip on a snow covered rock, etc.

Situational awareness could play a role here I suppose. If one charges you in a Safeway parking lot and it's a straight 50 yard run to the door, but there is a grouping of cars in the parking lot closer by, would you be better off heading into the cars. Do bears make sudden 90 degree angle direction changes as fast as humans? If you weaved your way quickly between the cars, or slid across the hoods or roofs of low lying sedans, would a bear have more trouble keeping pace?

What about a 15 or 20 foot cliff or ledge? A person would likely survive jumping with maybe a broken leg, etc. (not even that if they know how to tuck and roll). Would a bear be as willing to make the leap? That's a lot of weight for a drop landing of even 15 feet.

Just some thoughts, by no means am I a bear expert, but I am fairly adept at situational awareness.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?

I am assuming the message in the bear advice trio is that a starving Polar Bear will kill and eat you no matter what you do, you can stand up, lay down, run, recite Shakespeare, your toast in any scenario. There's always a tiny chance a bear has an injured foot, dislocated shoulder, will trip on a snow covered rock, etc.

Situational awareness could play a role here I suppose. If one charges you in a Safeway parking lot and it's a straight 50 yard run to the door, but there is a grouping of cars in the parking lot closer by, would you be better off heading into the cars. Do bears make sudden 90 degree angle direction changes as fast as humans? If you weaved your way quickly between the cars, or slid across the hoods or roofs of low lying sedans, would a bear have more trouble keeping pace?

What about a 15 or 20 foot cliff or ledge? A person would likely survive jumping with maybe a broken leg, etc. (not even that if they know how to tuck and roll). Would a bear be as willing to make the leap? That's a lot of weight for a drop landing of even 15 feet.

Just some thoughts, by no means am I a bear expert, but I am fairly adept at situational awareness.

Well, there is this series of photos:

https://www.blackbearheaven.com/pola...ound-truck.htm

In any potentially fatal situation, you need to very quickly figure out your options, and very quickly decide on what appears to be the best one, go with it, and after that it's just fate.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Northrick

Well, there is this series of photos:

https://www.blackbearheaven.com/pola...ound-truck.htm

In any potentially fatal situation, you need to very quickly figure out your options, and very quickly decide on what appears to be the best one, go with it, and after that it's just fate.

That's real funny, at least to the one who took the photos.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Northrick

Well, there is this series of photos:

https://www.blackbearheaven.com/pola...ound-truck.htm

In any potentially fatal situation, you need to very quickly figure out your options, and very quickly decide on what appears to be the best one, go with it, and after that it's just fate.

Reminded me of a story a retired biologist told me about one of his polar bear encounters. I heard it pre-ANILCA so some of the details are fuzzy. He was part of a US/Canadian research team outfitting polar bears with satellite tags. They'd fly out over the Beaufort searching for bears on ice floes large and flat enough for the contract pilot to land the plane, taxi, and take off again. They'd dart a bear, land, leap into action, collecting data from the bear before outfitting it with a collar and reversing the drugs. The reversal drugs they were using work very quickly. It can be deadly for a polar bear to be incapacitated for very long at all. Obviously, the timing was critical due to frigid winter weather and they were being closely monitored by someone on dry land via radio.

Anyway, they had darted a bear, landed, and started what needed to be done. At first, the pilot stayed in the cockpit with the engine idling, but eventually got out to watch. As he did, reflex kicked in and he shut the aircraft door. The latch promptly froze. He started wrestling with it without success. Then the wind came up, sea got rougher, the floe slammed into another, and the edges started to break up. The plane started to pivot with the wind, slid slowly toward the fresh (and closer) edge of the floe, one ski slid off, and it capsized into the water. Everyone watched, frozen with horror. Then the bear started coming around.

"Someone dart that bear again!" Sometimes bears act out aggressively as they come to their senses. They could only get away with darting one more time, but they were stuck waiting for their onshore monitor to realize they'd missed their next contact call and start a search. They shot the bear. As for the horrified pilot, he quit the project and took a job back down in the south 48 where he wouldn't need to deal with ice floes or polar bears ever again.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?

..

What about a 15 or 20 foot cliff or ledge? A person would likely survive jumping with maybe a broken leg, etc. (not even that if they know how to tuck and roll). Would a bear be as willing to make the leap?...

Definitely worth a shot, though there aren't many ledges to be found in the arctic.

A friend's father once escaped a grizzly bear in the Brooks range by running down a steep stream embankment. The bear decided not to pursue.

[ketchikanite]

Originally Posted by ShouldIMoveOrStayPut...?

I submit the following comments below with all due respect to this tragedy, my heart goes out to the families of that woman and her child....



Would "If it's white, take flight" work? If you are irreversibly and unconditionally on the menu, what would be the downside to making a run for it?



So not so much a See-Food diet but more of a Seafood one?

Seafood would be their preferred diet but they are opportunistic eaters as well.