Alaska Bears:Summary of Information
In summary, usually bears are not a threat to humans, but they do deserve respect and attention. Keep alert when traveling in known bear territory. These are wonderful animals to watch in their natural habitat and they generally will ignore your presence and do what they want to do which is mostly eat. So avoid surprising bears, look for bear signs all the time and be alert, don't crowd or surprise bears and don't attract them with your food or garbage. When you see a bear stay calm, identify yourself and don't run. If the bear does attack, lie flat and still; if that doesn't work, fight to the best of your ability. Bears are one of natures most wonderful critters and we can live together and share the earth if we learn more about them and respect their instincts.
"Alive, the grizzly is a symbol of freedom and understanding - a sign that man can learn to conserve what is left of the earth. Extinct, it will be another fading testimony to things man should have learned more about but was too preoccupied with himself to notice. In its beleaguered condition, it is above all a symbol of what man is doing to the entire planet. If we can learn from these experiences, and learn rationally, both grizzly and man may have a chance to survive."
Frank Craighead
"What we seem to want is a statistically homogenized picture of a species, when we really need to look at bears as dynamic, living mechanisms."
Dr. Barrie Gilbert
