Posted on 09/19/2019 4:56:31 AM PDT by marktwain
A few years ago, I held the widespread belief that in the wild, humans were far more dangerous than bears. Humans are the top predator on the planet. They routinely prey on their own. Far more humans are killed by humans than by bears.
The reality is more complex. As I researched bear attacks and the effectiveness of using handguns to stop those attacks, I found I was mistaken about the comparative danger of humans. Comparing how many people are killed by humans against how many are killed by bears is a misleading metric. There are hundreds of millions of people in North America, and somewhat less than a million bears. About six percent of those are grizzly bears. There are about ten to fifteen thousand polar bears associated with North America. The danger of something is not represented by how many people are killed or hurt, out of the entire human population. Rather, the danger of something is more reliably measured by how many people are killed or hurt per the item in question in relation to exposure to humans.
Very few people die of drowning in the Sahara desert. To be in danger of being killed by a bear, you have to be where the bears are. It can happen in New York City if you break into the zoo. In 1982, a man was killed by a polar bear when he climbed a series of fences to get into the bear cage after hours. In 1987, an eleven-year-old boy was killed by
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Who would have thought the opinion of long experience was right all along?
I have used this information to avoid death by bear attack.
Depends on the bear.
Grizzlies are a different kettle of fish.
Bears are like guns. Always consider them to be loaded.
But some pack more heat than others. :-)
So the closer in proximity you are to bears, the greater the potential for danger. Who would have imagined that? Definitely the most practical tip I have heard all day.
You definitely don’t want to be around an angry mama bear - even a black bear.
I never have to worry about shark attack, either.
I live in Colorado.
Grizzlies are more aggressive in defending cubs and food caches, but it’s said that male black bears are most likely to see you as prey, which is a scary thought given that they are almost everywhere.
Bears are indeed very dangerous animals. They’re very strong and powerful creatures, and despite their size they can move very quickly, they’re always hungry, will eat just about anything, not possessed of particularly good eyesight so they tend to perceive everything as a threat and generally just an animal to avoid if you can.
I’ve been around bears. In Yellowstone, too. Fortunately in a vehicle or in/near a dwelling on all occasions. The grizzlies I’ve seen were a lot more ornery than the other bears I’ve come across. Even crankier than the black bear mamas with cubs.
I respect them all, but griz scare the crap outta me.
Once I used to do a lot of spear fishing. Then one day I saw a 25 foot Tiger Shark. Gave all my gear away and haven’t been back.
Nothing is as dangerous as another human.
If I were going to coin an aphorism this morning, it would be something like, “When a tautology appears as a revelation, your species is in serious trouble.”
Are you blaming the victims of shark attacks!?! Bad, bad!
A tautology.
This early.
I Need Moar Coffee.
When my ship was heading back to San Diego after a week long training cruise, our Texan Captain told the con that he wanted to get us home fast so we could enjoy the weekend.
He said, “Floor it. All ahead flank.”
I saw a 15 foot shark get pushed out of our way sideways in our wake.
Don’t mess with Texas. Or their Captains.
(This guy ordered the Captain’s chair on the bridge to be ripped out, and had a La-z-boy recliner installed. We loved him.)
That's a good approach to life, especially if it's followed, within a reasonable time, by, "It's Five O'clock Somewhere."
But what about sharknados?
I was told that sharks don’t really like the taste of people. Not enough fat content.
Perhaps Nadler should try out his backstroke more often.
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