But then, we can simply ignore those who have devoted their lives to the research of bears and what they have observed, researched, and written about, because our "common sense" tells us the way things are. Don't drive east of Badwater, you might drive off the earth.
"Eppur si muove" -Galileo
I particularly find it amusing to find rejection of science regarding bears, and embracing of science on outhouses. I guess whatever works, eh?
Not rejecting science at all, Ken. All I am saying is that, while this researcher is quite comfortable around bears, I believe he is also far more knowledgeable in how to posture himself around bears with his behavior and body language. That expert knowledge allows him to approach bears and to work with them, without putting himself in much danger.
But for a common hiker like me, and most other hikers, I would think bears might read our body language and behavior differently, so approaching a bear might be way more dangerous for us. Sierra bears are in a quest for survival, with food being their highest priority. Since hikers and campers are often carrying a significant amount of that scarce commodity, the bears are attracted to hikers, and hikers and others are frequently chasing the bears away. This creates an adversarial situation, and bears have learned to be wary of humans. When these bears and humans come into contact, sometimes there is trouble.
There is no way this information doubts or discredits the research.
Edit: This amazing and wonderful gorilla encounter could have been far different if the humans had grabbed sticks and rocks and started yelling.
Gorilla encounter on wimp.com Also on
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
