Of Bears and People
Last Review/Updated: May 24, 2002
People who live in bear country, study, or just watch bears, generally come to admire them. Alberta's Andy Russell grew up in the cattle country of the southwest with the Rocky Mountain foothills and its bears in his backyard. After a lifetime around grizzlies, he described his admiration for them in this way:
"The animal that impresses me the most, the one I find myself liking more and more is the grizzly. No sight encountered in the wilds is quite so stirring as those massive, clawed tracks pressed into mud or snow. No sight is quite so impressive as that of the great bear stalking across some mountain slope with the fur of his silvery robe rippling over his mighty muscles. He is a dignity and power matched by no other in the North American wilderness. To share a mountain with him for a while is a privilege and an adventure like no other."
But, other people, with fewer experiences in bear country, come to appreciate and respect bears, too. Authors Paul Shepard and Barry Sanders eloquently reminded us of the interest and reverence people have always had for bears:
"From time far older than memory, the bear has been a special being: humanlike, yet close to the animals and hence, to the source of life. Like us, the bear stands upright on the soles of his feet, his eyes nearly in a frontal plane. The bear moves his forelimbs freely in their shoulder sockets, sits on his tail end, one leg folded, like an adolescent slouched at the table, worries with moans and sighs, courts with demonstrable affection, snores in his sleep, spanks his children, is avid for sweets, and has a moody, gruff, and morose side."
J. Gunson photo  The bark of many aspens show lasting evidence that black bears climb trees. |
As Russell did point out, there is much more to our respect for bears than their human-like ways. The bear is a personality in his own right; he is intelligent, strong and agile, and perhaps most importantly to our perception, he is independent. Often alone, the bear survives in far-away places, needing no compliance with human purpose. In the presence of this powerful beast, man is forced to realize his vulnerability. We walk carefully in bear country; bears make wilderness wild.
Like our primitive ancestors, modern humans respect the bear for his ability to kill when needed to feed himself, or to protect himself or his young, and to survive without our help. The bear's fierce independence and intelligence, combined with great strength representing potential danger to us, explain why bears have come to symbolize wilderness—if the country has bears, it is truly wild. To many people, this is the essence of bears; an environment with bears is complete, supporting a harmony of wild things.
The bear may be a different kind of symbol to different people in the modern world. To those who have jobs in logging, mining or tourist development, delays or cancellations created by environmental assessments, which often center on bears, especially grizzlies, may not be appreciated. These bears may be "wildlife in the way."
There are other not-so-positive sides to bears. At times, they damage property, creating significant economic loss, especially to individuals. Black bears in Alberta have put some beekeepers right out of business. Along the eastern slopes, grizzly bears have raised many a cattleman's ire. In the north, bears that wander into residential areas or camping sites evoke concern and panic. Occasionally, bears attack people and news of such maulings are always intimidating. For the victims, their families, local residents, and responding wildlife managers, the bear attacks create "summers of the bear" when forest-dwelling people find themselves looking over their shoulders. It is easy to understand that bears are often feared.
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As North America was tamed by Europeans, settlement, agriculture and industry brought about a steady decline in bear habitats and populations throughout much of their range. Hunting for commerce and sport, and killing bears where they competed with human interests, eliminated or severely reduced their numbers in many areas. Over time, improved understanding and modern wildlife management have facilitated the return of many formerly depleted populations to health. Today, bears are valued as models for artists, sought after as prize sightings of outdoor enthusiasts, and are subjects of scientific study, yet, they remain a problem for some.
In the modern world, more and more people appreciate nature and wilderness; like so many earlier human cultures, we want to find, enjoy and respect bears. They played a part in the spiritual life of most native North Americans; to many of their descendants, they still do. The problem for governments and wildlife managers is that, in dealing with bears, they touch upon so many different social, cultural, spiritual, economic, recreational, ecological and scientific values. Our attitudes toward bears and ingrained views can be hard to change. However, bears are a part of the natural fauna of Alberta, and most people agree that they have a right to be here.
"Two other braves . . . had their faces painted to impress the spectators; their bodies were covered with red and on their faces was the bear sign—black streaks down over the eyes and at each corner of the mouth. They wore their front hair short and made it stand straight up by covering it with paint. They had fringed shirts made from the smoke tops of old lodge covers, belts of bearskin and arm-bands of bearskin with bear claws attached; for head-dresses they had strips of skin with bear ears and two claws attached to look like double ears."
—from Society of the Braves as told by Brings-Down-The-Sun, Blackfoot chief, southwestern Alberta, 1896, Walter McClintock, Old Indian Trails
