Credits : Jeremy Mendes and Leanne Allison
Writer: JB McLaughlin
Editor : Jennifer Moss
Executive Producers : Loc Dao, Rob McLaughin, David Christensen.
Check out more Credits and Storyline at :
http://bear71.nfb.ca/#/bear71
There's an old saying that goes like this : A pine needle fell in the forest. The eagle saw it fall. The deer heard it. The Bear smelled it.
A Human can't smell a baby elk, because a baby elk has hardly any smell at all. But a Grizzly can smell a baby elk about as well as humans can hear a pin drop.
After the Pine Needle hits the ground, Google made the information instantly available worldwide. The valley of Canmore, Alberta has 35 cell phone towers transmitting 3G data, voice over IP and text messages around the Clock.
You can drive the entire Lake Minnewanka Scenic Loop in Street View on your laptop.
Most birds can see ultraviolet light. Some frogs can hears sound nearly twice what humans can hear and a Platypus, which lives in Australia can basically smell electricity miles away.
Within the Valley of Canmore, Alberta, the Trans Canada Freeway splits down the middle with CPR Railway passing through to Vancouver,British Columbia. 18,000 cars a Day Pass by the Freeway, which just so happens to be one Car every 5 seconds. And a Freight Train every Hour.
Fortunately, you have 44 different ways to cross the highway without being killed due to 38 underpasses and 6 Large Overpasses, complete with natural landscape. A Grizzly will use these passes everyday without using the road. It's called an improvement.
Which it is...but the railroad is an increasing problem because of grain leaking from the train cars. Last year alone 112,000 Kg of grain was lost on the tracks just in the Park, never mind the rest of the trip to Vancouver. That's like leaving 300,000 loaves of Bread along the railway. By the time the Train reaches Vancouver, several grain cars are totally empty.
Why Should You Care?
This Grain attracts wildlife onto the tracks, making it a slaughterhouse courtesy of the Railway System. 17 Grizzly Bears have been killed in the Bow Valley due to railway fatalities. That's counting 6 cubs who couldn't survive on their own after the mother was killed. It was a death sentence to the cubs. Statistically, that is one dead Bear for every 5 km of track, in Bow Valley alone.
The Forest Rangers kept track of us Grizzlies by attaching a GPS Collar on us. We are constantly monitored, which means, every time we get too close to the town of Canmore or Banff, we are chased away by what they call " Aversive Conditioning" We call it Rubber Bullets traveling at over 650 km an hour, hitting either our backs, heads or belly's at such an impact, it hurts for weeks. And all we wanted, was that patch of Buffalo Berries our mom showed us when we were kids. All we wanted was the food that nature offered us. It's not our fault someone builds a home just behind on berry patch!
Good Bears Verses Bad Bears
Credits :
J. Robb Montana
A Good Bear won't eat their Children, but the Mountain Boar Grizzlies high up along the range are extremely dangerous! They will kill anything in its path, including humans. They are said to be the "Devils Package" and will even eat their own young. Boar Grizzlies will shred apart a Black Bear and leaves it head in plain site to mark its territory and...to warn others that Boar Grizzlies mean business!
When we smell, hear or unfortunately come to close a Boar Grizzly, I hide my Cubs as quickly as I can. If I have to, I must fight to the death hoping that I will survive this savage conflict.
So, not only do I have to keep my cubs safe from humans, I must also be aware of Boar Grizzlies.
Human Stories - Encounters with Bears
Credit :
J. Robb Montana
The Mountain Bikers
A couple of years ago, I heard of three female humans taking a cross-country mountain biking expedition high in the Rocky Mountain Range. Unfortunately they met one of these Boar Grizzlies. Two of the humans got away but one was torn apart as she tried to climb a small evergreen tree. She had no chance to getting away. Of course, humans were outraged by this attack. It wasn't long before a specialized team of hunters and Wildlife Officers cased the area with Helicopters overhead. You see, Bears don't realize they did anything wrong. If anything in our sites runs, its considered food. We are so hungry most of the time, it drives us crazy. It drives a Boar Grizzly over the edge. And just so you know, Bears can run up to 35 miles per hour in short spirits. Most humans aren't aware of our speed, realizing it when its too late.
The Grandparents Encounter with a Grizzly
Last Summer, two human grandparents were on a stroll up in the Terrace Region of B.C. reminisce his time as a Hydro employee. They left their fully equip motor home to begin a leisurely hike along a logging road, ( since most logging roads are radio-monitored during the week and off limits to any other vehicle).
They were having a great time, taking in the forest air, enjoying a carefree walk. It wasn't long before they noticed something large up ahead had join them.
To their surprise, it was a Boar Grizzly sniffing the air. Unfortunately the grandparents were downwind to this enormous Grizzly Bear. Even though his eye sight couldn't really make out what was down the road, he sure could smell them.
The humans thought they had enough of a stretch in between them and the Grizzly to make it back safely to their RV. After all the Bear was a good mile up ahead. So, they slowly headed back down the road, carefully looking over their shoulders,but then they noticed the Grizzly was in a full run. Frighten, they instinctively began to run as fast as they could towards their motor home. Believe it or not, they did make it to their motor home, but it wasn't long before the Grizzly was upon them. The Grizzly hit the 23 ft motor home with such force it raised off the ground. But, with luck they were still able to make it out of there before the Grizzly attacked again. They were the lucky ones able to tell their story with tall-tell signs of massive damage to their RV.
Hunters Last Encounter
Last year we heard from one of our Alaskan Bear Cousins. She said a group of hunters were hiking near Soldotna, Alaska in the Kenia National Wildlife Refuge. They had split apart figuring it was best to hunt alone. Unfortunately, that was a mistake. One of the poor fellows had managed to fire off a few rounds before being killed by a Grizzly.
What Kind of Rifle Do Hunters Use?
Human Hunters will usually bring along high power rifles, like a 30-06 ( pronounced thirty odd six) or a .308 Winchester. These type of rifles are considered reliable with the right bullet. A bullet best for the job of killing bear would be around the 200 grain class, but for a Griz, you better go for the .300 Remington Ultra Mag or Ruger Model M77. Don't even think of using a shotgun on a Grizzly, all it will do is go for the kill.
The Bottom- Line
The point here, it's very tragic to hear of humans being killed. Not only does it effect the lives of others, Grizzlies, Black Bears and Polar Bears are hunted and killed because of their encounter with man.
No one wins, in 1812 Alberta had over 7000 Grizzlies, but now in 2012 there are barely 700 Grizzlies left.
I understand the concept of protecting your species, I'll do anything in my power to protect my young, just like any mother would. So, why don't you respect my territory? After all, you are the one invading my home. I didn't ask you to come to my home, you just came...Uninvited.
Next time you are in my home, please respect all the wildlife, take time to learn more about us. Be aware and educate yourself, so we don't become first page news on your little newspapers.
We want to co-exist but we need your help. I understand you have officials named MP's and apparently their your voice to the Government. Well, speak up and let them know you're not happy. Tell your government that something should be done about the waste of food along the train tracks. One thing is for sure, if the Train went off the tracks because of the grain left behind, they would certainly do something about it.
You see, I don't understand? You waste food for what reason? Why don't they care? And so, when us Bears come across some free food, we don't hesitate to eat it. After all, you left it behind.
Bottom Line : If you Don't Want Me on The Tracks Maybe You Humans Shouldn't Drop 112,000 kg of Grain Along the Tracks!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Do You Realize You Are Wasting 300,000 Loafs of Bread!
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J. Robb Montana's short stories and his on-line Robotics on Mars...
Black Angels of Sirus 5 - Screenwriter J. Robb Montana explores mankind's historical past over 100,000 years ago,where Ancient Alien Astronauts changed the evolution of mankind to become who we are today.
Here's are an example of short stories and Traveling Blogs:
