"Selfies with Bears? That is the dumbest name I've ever heard."
Posted on 09/12/2015 12:08:39 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
LITTLETON, Colo. - Denver Water says Waterton Canyon is still closed because of bear activity.
The popular trail was closed Aug. 28 because two momma bears, each with twin cubs, and other bears were actively foraging in the canyon.
Denver Water said part of the problem is not the bears, but people trying to get the perfect picture of them.
"We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears," said Brandon Ransom, Denver Water’s manager of recreation. "The current situation is not conducive for the safety of our visitors or the well-being of the wildlife.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said this time of year bears are actively seeking food to prepare for hibernation.
"It is a poor choice from our perspective, A) to get that close to wildlife and B) to turn your back, particularly on bears," said Matt Robbins, a spokesman for CPW.
The hashtag #bearselfie has become increasingly popular, though, and may be part of a broader trend -- people risking their lives to get the perfect self-photo.
In February, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruled that a pilot in Colorado was taking a selfie when he crashed his plane, killing himself and a passenger.
In Russia this year, dozens have died while taking extreme selfies, prompting a national "Safe Selfie" campaign.
"There needs to be some move to teach us how to use these new technologies in safe ways," said Samuel Jay, an associate professor of communications at Metropolitan State University.
Jay has researched the emotional relationship people have with technology and how it affects their judgment.
"We get lost in this relationship and we’re not able to kind of calculate the danger that is present in these situations," he said.
For now, the closed canyon in Colorado serves as a reminder that the wildlife are not pets, and people should beware of turning their backs on the wrong bear.
"It's when we put them at risk and put ourselves at risk that somebody has to intervene and that’s what we’ve done in this particular case," said Robbins.
Waterton Canyon is a popular trail for hikers, bikers, runners, walkers, picnickers and people wanting to fish or watch the wildlife and birds. More than 100,000 people visit Waterton Canyon each year.
Waterton Canyon is also the starting point for many hikers tackling the Colorado Trail.
It was also closed for part of May and June due to high water and maintenance work.
Well I was going to suggest this area would be perfect for the DNC convention......
I agree.
Exercising their right to bear arms
When I lived nearby some years ago I used that canyon a lot. Great place. This story illustrates how removed from knowledge of nature people have become. I blame TV and urban life.
Re: “I really disagree with this area being shut down. Bears and buffalo serve the same purpose as trains and high cliffs: to take out society’s morons and make the world collectively smarter.”
Shouldn’t these “selfie” with bears/lions/cobra, etc. be included in the Darwin Award competition?
LOL, yes.
“Now, to emphasize the dangerous nature of these creatures, we have armed them with chainsaw paws and lazer eyeballs!”
I guess #dumbass was already taken.
When they get rescued or recovered, the only jacket that they have is some windbreaker that they bought at a California ballgame. They figured that bringing a 20 oz. bottle of water and a candy bar would be adequate food.
They also have no idea what to expect at high altitude. It routinely gets below freezing at night, even in the summer. And if you've spent your whole life at sea level, exerting yourself at 8,000+ feet can take the energy out of you a lot faster than you thought.
Now, if you go up and have to get rescued, the authorities charge you for the cost of the rescue and advertise that fact as much as they can. The helicopter costs plus all the manpower and overtime can easily cost you $50,000. And since the universities are state entities, you don't get your diploma until it's paid. If you live in places without having your name on the lease and are slick enough to avoid the process-servers, it still doesn't help you. If you don't care about the diploma, they'll just hassle your parents until they're sick of it and turn you in.
"Selfies with Bears? That is the dumbest name I've ever heard."
“It’s slightly better than “got ** by bears”. “
“Good point.”
LOL - instant meme!
"Ranger Smith, I've had it with all these yokels and their selfies. Next time one of 'em pulls out a selfie stick, I'm going to ram it so far up their as..."
"OK, Yogi...I'll close Jellystone for you. Just don't eat any of them yet."
It isn’t just university kids. I moved to California in the summer of ‘73 and in Jan ‘75 hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls. This was in the middle of the ‘74 to ‘77 drought and it was reaching daytime highs of 75 F on the valley floor — in January! Being winter, I brought my heavy parka, food, lots of water, mirror, stereo, space blanket, heavy boots, etc in case bad weather set in. I started out before dawn and made it to the top in good time. As I started heading down about 11 AM, other hikers were just reaching the top...in shorts, t-shirts, sandals, no jackets, hardly any water and clearly no thought to what might happen if the weather turned ugly. I was astonished at the stupidity I saw on the trail. I had no great mountain experience at the time, but had enough common sense to respect the mountains and be prepared for the worst.
Darwin requires periodic sacrifices.
Really, there was no need to close the canyon; just let the bears snack on a couple of the tourists, and probably most of the rest of them (the tourists not the bears) would figure things out.
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