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The amazing thing about Treadwell is that he got away with his deranged conduct for 13 years before getting himself and his lady friend killed. Have viewed the films about him and those he made himself intently, and just shudder at how closely he approached the bears and his casual attitude around them.
The amazing thing about Treadwell is that he got away with his deranged conduct for 13 years before getting himself and his lady friend killed. Have viewed the films about him and those he made himself intently, and just shudder at how closely he approached the bears and his casual attitude around them.
I have lived in Alaska for 21 years, and in that time I have seen a fair number of grizzlies/brown bears. If you maintain a respectful distance, and are down wind, they will not even notice your presence. Bears have notoriously bad eyesight. However, that does require a certain level of awareness about one's environment. Bears are also not innately hostile. They will allow you to approach them if it is in a non-threatening manner, but their actions after that are unpredictable. They may lick your hand, or bite it off.
The vast majority of the people who get mauled by bear in Anchorage are either riding mountain-bikes or jogging down one of the green-belt trails, and not paying attention to their surroundings.
There is a reason man used Livestock Guardian dogs in the past. You dont see them much any more here in the states.
Just a bear being a bear.
Some of the biggest grizzly bears ever recorded in history were right here in the Central Valley of California over 100 years ago.
Excellent!
First thing I thought was, Were there dogs out there to protect the sheep?
Ranchers need to invest in some dogs, like Anatolian Shepards or Great Pyrenees, etc. There is a very long tradition for using them - they'll keep the wolves, bears, etc. at bay. They are even used in Africa to deter the cats, because nothing in the wild is as easy to catch as domestic cattle - make it a little harder by having a team of dogs patrol the flock, herd, etc., and those wild predators will move on to something easier.
Ranchers need to invest in some dogs, like Anatolian Shepards or Great Pyrenees, etc. There is a very long tradition for using them - they'll keep the wolves, bears, etc. at bay. They are even used in Africa to deter the cats, because nothing in the wild is as easy to catch as domestic cattle - make it a little harder by having a team of dogs patrol the flock, herd, etc., and those wild predators will move on to something easier.
While certainly a big help, LGDs are not always effective against the big, dangerous predators. Predators often become spooked when detected and leave, but not always. In recent years with the spread of wolves, cougars, and bears, several of these dogs have been killed or mauled, most often by wolves. Wolves are extremely territorial and view dogs as trespassers to be killed. Black bears prefer to avoid dogs, but grizzlys are another matter. A determined mature male grizzly is a beast that can take a kill away from a wolf pack, and is not going to be intimidated by dogs. Cougars also will usually avoid dogs, but again, not always. They will sometimes target a dog as prey and stalk and kill them. In a one on one fight no dog has a chance against a mature tom cougar. The smaller stuff, no problem for even a single dog; coyotes, bobcats, foxes, racoons, and feral dogs are not going to confront one, but for the big stuff several are advised, not just one or two.
In Africa, LGDs are used mostly to defend against cheetahs, and at this they have proven to be very effective. Cheetahs are pretty inoffensive and will not challenge even a single dog. Against lions they are useless, and leopards are mixed results. Leopards are very fond of dog, and commonly target them. In some parts of Africa the leopards are quite small and will avoid a big dog, but in parts where they are large, a 60-70 kilo tom poses a real problem.
While certainly a big help, LGDs are not always effective against the big, dangerous predators. Predators often become spooked when detected and leave, but not always. In recent years with the spread of wolves, cougars, and bears, several of these dogs have been killed or mauled, most often by wolves. Wolves are extremely territorial and view dogs as trespassers to be killed. Black bears prefer to avoid dogs, but grizzlys are another matter. A determined mature male grizzly is a beast that can take a kill away from a wolf pack, and is not going to be intimidated by dogs. Cougars also will usually avoid dogs, but again, not always. They will sometimes target a dog as prey and stalk and kill them. In a one on one fight no dog has a chance against a mature tom cougar. The smaller stuff, no problem for even a single dog; coyotes, bobcats, foxes, racoons, and feral dogs are not going to confront one, but for the big stuff several are advised, not just one or two.
In Africa, LGDs are used mostly to defend against cheetahs, and at this they have proven to be very effective. Cheetahs are pretty inoffensive and will not challenge even a single dog. Against lions they are useless, and leopards are mixed results. Leopards are very fond of dog, and commonly target them. In some parts of Africa the leopards are quite small and will avoid a big dog, but in parts where they are large, a 60-70 kilo tom poses a real problem.
I do not think Brookline_sylvia was suggesting dogs take on a large predator, only that they serve as a deterant. I agree with her, if a ranch has dogs it may not be worth the predator's time to deal with the dogs, particularly if they know of a ranch that does not have dogs.
Domesticated dogs, including Irish Wolf Hounds, are no match for a wild wolf, much less a bear. They may have been trained and breed to hunt wolves centuries ago, but they have not been used for such purposes in a very long time. Wolves must kill in order to survive, which is not the case with domesticated dogs.
During the winters in Alaska, when food is scarce for the wolves, they will come into town and snack on any family pet left outside by their owner. Wolves have taken Pit Bulls, Golden Retreivers, Rotweilers, and even Saint Bernards in recent years. Domesticated dogs do not stand a chance in a fight against a wolf.
First thing I thought was, Were there dogs out there to protect the sheep?
Ranchers need to invest in some dogs, like Anatolian Shepards or Great Pyrenees, etc. There is a very long tradition for using them - they'll keep the wolves, bears, etc. at bay. They are even used in Africa to deter the cats, because nothing in the wild is as easy to catch as domestic cattle - make it a little harder by having a team of dogs patrol the flock, herd, etc., and those wild predators will move on to something easier.
I think the sheep should quit relying on someone else to always fight their battles for them. I have to believe if they all ganged up on her, they could kick that bear's ass all the way back to the Continental Divide. Even the toughest bully wouldn't stand a chance against a hundred anythings. Sure a couple might have to take one for the team but time to man up, stupid sheeple.
The amazing thing about Treadwell is that he got away with his deranged conduct for 13 years before getting himself and his lady friend killed. Have viewed the films about him and those he made himself intently, and just shudder at how closely he approached the bears and his casual attitude around them.
Yeah. 13 years is amazing. Kinda like the croc-hunter though. You work around inherently dangerous critters and accidents can happen. I'm not putting Irwin in the same boat, a lot of his stuff was hyped to see more dangerous than actual but he had a number of legit close calls with snakes especially. Anybody working around dangerous animals is one moment of inatentiveness or just bad luck from death.
Yeah. 13 years is amazing. Kinda like the croc-hunter though. You work around inherently dangerous critters and accidents can happen. I'm not putting Irwin in the same boat, a lot of his stuff was hyped to see more dangerous than actual but he had a number of legit close calls with snakes especially. Anybody working around dangerous animals is one moment of inatentiveness or just bad luck from death.
Steve Irwin was not killed by a croc or a snake though. He DID beat the odds with those critters. His death was just the bad luck type and his pulling out the barb from his chest.
I think the sheep should quit relying on someone else to always fight their battles for them. I have to believe if they all ganged up on her, they could kick that bear's ass all the way back to the Continental Divide. Even the toughest bully wouldn't stand a chance against a hundred anythings. Sure a couple might have to take one for the team but time to man up, stupid sheeple.
Ironically, japanese wasps are huge killing machines but the bees have figured out that if they pile on it they can overheat the wasp and kill it. I have this mental picture of all these sheep just piling onto a bear and a rancher coming out the next morning to find this dead bear under a pile of 30 sheep.
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