Recent Bear Attack

The recent bear attack near Yellowstone has created quite a stir, and so we have decided to post some comments on it, so our guests understand where we stand, and why we are totally convinced that venturing into grizzly country can be done safely.

Grizzly bears, like any potentially dangerous wild animal, demand respect if we are to visit their homes and not endanger ourselves or them in the process. This recent attack was quite out-of-the-ordinary since the campground was generally tidy, without food or trash laying around, and the bear seemed to be in a solely predatory mode. The investigation has revealed little so far that points to any real conclusions as to what caused her to attack the campers so aggressively. There are concerns that a photographer may have been baiting bears to lure them close, and we understand authorities are exploring this possibility.

The simple truth is that bear attacks are going to happen occasionally - very occasionally. With hundreds of millions of people having visited grizzly country in the last century, less than 150 have been killed by bears. To keep it all in perspective here are some more stats about bear attacks:

• 1 person out of 16,000 commits murder but only 1 grizzly bear out of 50,000 ever kills someone and only 1 black bear out of one million does. So people are much more dangerous than bears!

• There are about 750,000 black bears in North America and on average there is less than one black bear killing per year.

• For each person killed by a black bear attack there are 13 people killed by snakes, 17 by spiders, 45 by dogs, 120 by bees, 150 by tornadoes, 374 by lightning, and 60,000 by humans.

Other human beings remain the most significant threat regardless of where you are. By keeping a very clean camp, arming yourself and everyone in your party with pepper spray (which we do in grizzly country, always - and which has been shown to effectively repel bear attacks), and by traveling in groups with 3 or more people (which we always do), the odds of a bear attack are amazingly small - almost not even worth talking about.

So, we hope you'll join us in exploring the majesty and beauty of Yellowstone and the Canadian Rockies, and get to see one of these magnificent creatures while you're there. It's a wonderful and unforgettable experience!