Correspondence
Louisa Willcox and David Mattson responds:
To Frances Schultz: The poaching of the grizzlies that Charlie Russell set free in Kamchatka underscores the enormous job ahead of us as we seek to coexist with large carnivores. Poaching of grizzlies is rampant even here in the U.S., where laws are much stronger. For example, in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem in Montana and Idaho, about 50 percent of grizzly bear deaths are caused by poachers. Only rigorous enforcement can stem this violence.
Jim Koppensteiner offers a helpful reminder about staying safe in bear country: be mentally prepared for an encounter, give bears ample room, and take precautions such as carrying pepper spray. A prudent and informed approach to risk is important, whether we are driving on a freeway, working around livestock, or living among grizzly bears. By the same token, unreasoned fear is highly problematic, especially when coupled with intolerance. Unfortunately interactions of hikers, hunters, ranchers, and tourists with North American grizzlies have often been governed by fear — with catastrophic consequences for the bears.
Our experiences have shown us that if we bring calmness, attentiveness, and knowledge into areas occupied by grizzly bears, we minimize the odds of close-range encounters. Moreover, if an encounter does happen, the outcome is more likely to be benign for all involved.
Near the end of an otherwise insightful interview, Savannah Barnes asks Louisa Willcox and David Mattson if it is possible to earn a bear’s trust. Unfortunately they seem to encourage people to approach grizzly bears and ignore the common advice to keep a healthy distance.
Though bears are intelligent and capable of learning to trust people, they stay alive, in great part, by keeping their distance from us. It’s one thing to “get to know” a bear when you’re out doing research for months at a time, but for the 99.9 percent of us who are just passing through, the only safe choice is to give grizzlies all the space they need.
I’m someone who has spent a lot of time in the wilderness, armed only with a respect for the wild and a knowledge of proper bear etiquette — often hundreds of miles and a good plane ride or two from the nearest hospital. And I know that ignorance can get everyone, including the bear, killed.
So, if I may: Never, ever intentionally approach a bear! With their experience and knowledge, Mattson and Willcox surely didn’t mean to suggest that people behave in a cavalier manner toward bears. But I found myself waiting (in vain, as it turned out) for one or the other to qualify their statement.
Jim Koppensteiner
Niles, Illinois
Louisa Willcox [“A Test of Our Compassion,” interview by Savannah Barnes, January 2020] mentions the Canadian naturalist and rancher Charlie Russell. I live in southern Alberta, near Waterton National Park, where Charlie’s father, Andy, lived in the 1990s. Andy was a big-game hunting guide who later switched to taking animal photos instead of trophies. He and Charlie were both supportive of local naturalist and environmental organizations.
Willcox describes Charlie’s time in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, where he had some close, personal experiences with grizzlies. His later trips, however, showed that poachers had taken advantage of the grizzlies’ lack of fear of humans and had destroyed the bears. It’s sad that we can’t live in harmony with our fellow animals.
Frances Schultz
Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada
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