bear vs tourist

[mikebaker]

Thought Iwould post a snapshot from Cades Cove a couple of weeks ago that I thought would be of interest to some. If it dosen't fit the rules and needs to be deleted, I understand.

I was set up watching the field past the Carter Shields cabin when the big male started crossing the road behind me. I turned and moved the tripod around to photograph him when this lady walked past me towards the bear.

She was fixated on seeing a bear but was actually oblivious to the fact that this big animal was walking toward her as she was walking toward it. There was also a sow in the woodline.

I called out to her several times before I got her to stop and begin to walk backward towards my voice. I sure if she had of turned and ran the bear would have reacted. He displayed some aggatation toward some other folks a short while later.

The image is just a snapshot and has lots wrong with it, but I was just clicking the shutter as I talked the lady back. I was faced with taking bad pictures of her walking backwards, or taking good pictures of a mauling.

[mdaphoto]

we spend so much time studing the intelgance of other species, when our oun stupidity is left unnoticed.

[tht96]

You hit the nail on the head Mark!

[mdaphoto]

when i was up there sevearl weeks ago i mentioned to a volenteer at a bear jam a certain fellow in an orang shirt with a shaved head. he had repetedly walked past me with a point and shoot to the extent of scaring off several deer and turkeys. i asked if the honey the sold at the campground store was a suitable after shave lotion for such a person.

she replied that even though it sounded like a great idea, it shuld problay not be tried, something about the bears relating humans to food.

she did however mention that if i would have photographed the behavior in a series including the person getting back into a vehicle w/ leince tags they would be happy to procicute. with my telphoto rig i would be dificult to get proper dof for such shots, next time i will have a small point and shoot in my pocket just for this purpose.

[rpk717]

WOW, you would think "gene pool corrections" would have eliminated this behavior by now. Mike , I think you picked the right reaction, you may have saved the bear.

[mrsisu]

one of our previous members who has moved to texas spoke of seeing a, I think, a grandfather approaching a bear in the cove to put his grandchild on its back! Folks warned him off.

[jckegley]

That is the most interesting bear photo I have seen on CNPA yet. There is a whole story there with the cars behind the bear and the woman approaching.

I too have ran into a similar circumstance, but with a (approx) 10 year old kid who was in the road in front of a bear who really really wanted to cross the road and be rid of the humans. I told the kid to move, the bear wants out. I then shouted at the kid. Next I shouted at the parents, get your kid the hell off the road. I was then instantly unpopular, but the kid was moved.

It's very easy to get caught up in that, 'oh theres a bear' mentality. I try not to, but I know I am guilty of it too occasionally. While bears can become very comfortable with humans at Cades Cove, what is worrisome is that we (people) can become very comfortable with the bears at Cades Cove. That is what happened to this kid... "it's just a bear and we all surround the bear to take pictures, no big deal, bears are safe, and I am with mom and dad so nothing can happen".

[mikebaker]

I've always been careful in the field, and kept my head up, but it's easy to get to get so deep in photography and get tunnel vision and tunnel hearing that you can miss the problems others are causing. I even discourage my wife from joining me when I going to be way out in the field or know that I want to concentrate on just what I'm doing. Not having someone else means I don't have to worry about what thier doing, if thier fed, hydrated, bored, too tired, the list goes on.

I can be in the back of a field set up waiting as deer or bear are working to me and someone sees a long lense on a tripod and they come out for a look and then the cellphone cameras come out and they see how close they can get , as was the case of this young man.

This past rutting season I was working on a big buck as he worked a scrape line. A dad and kid followed me as aI worked and then as the buck was working he scrape the kid came up right behind him with a cellphone. They buck wheeled arund tossing his head. If he had wanted to hook the kid he could have. The kid ran but returned and dad didn't say anything, so I did...dad got pissed for me warning what could happen. Anyway...I guess the more I work in such places, the more of this I will enounter,