Joe and So Cal Girl,
I agree with both of you. I'm happy with the NPS's decision to let the Yellowstone Grizzly live and raise her cubs.
I and my friends were in Yellowstone in the summer of 2007 and we were informed by nearly everyone in the park to wear bear bells and carry pepper spray if we decided to do any trail hiking away from the touristy areas, so we bought a can of bear size pepper spray and wore bear bells so we could give the bears a fair warning we were in the area. A can of pepper spray to scare off bears is quite large...a person needs to buy the right size can at a sporting store. We never saw any grizzly bears in close proximity to where we were. We did see a grizzly at a popular viewing area tourists frequent before sunset, but we had to use high powered binoculars to see the grizzly....he was so cute playing in a meadow type area. He looked very small in the binoculars, but experts told us he/she was actually quite large. Certain areas of Yellowstone are known for grizzly bears being present, a fact that's easily learned while traveling the park. The Grand Tetons is another area where we were warned to be prepared. Hiking in the Grand Teton area is AWESOME!!!
The man and his wife may not have been in the fatal situation they found themselves in if they had only takeN a couple of precautions, but it's still a sad story for the man who probably died fighting for his life and sad for his wife who had to witness his death. I hope the wife will find peace in her heart for an act of Nature/God.
