[Sourdough]

Brown Bear With Cub Attacks 7 Teens Near Chulitna | KTVA CBS 11 News | Outbound XML Feeds

 

[NaeKid]

I would be interested in hearing what the troopers feel caused the bear to attack instead of heading off deeper into the forest. All of my encounters with bear have left me with no scars, just great memories of the large beasts ..

 

[mdmountainman]

Brown Bear With Cub Attacks 7 Teens Near Chulitna | KTVA CBS 11 News | Outbound XML Feeds

FIRST aid would have made sure everyone of them had bear spray and not just a couple of them. Personally, when in grizzly county, I carry bear spray AND a firearm.

 

[Sourdough]

I would be interested in hearing what the troopers feel caused the bear to attack instead of heading off deeper into the forest. All of my encounters with bear have left me with no scars, just great memories of the large beasts ..

Update: Teen's father: Alaska bear attacked quickly - Yahoo! News

 

[NaeKid]

Hmm ..

The first story described the encounter as being a brown-bear w/ cub and the second story described a grizz w/ cub.

I can see the grizz attacking to protect her baby especially if startled by a quiet-group roaming the woods. The brown would normally call her cub to her and head off deeper into the woods putting as much distance between the unknown and herself.

Either way it doesn't sound like the bear was being a predator and hunting the teens - just a chance encounter that ended up being unpleasant ...

 

[Sourdough]

Hmm ..

The first story described the encounter as being a brown-bear w/ cub and the second story described a grizz w/ cub.

I can see the grizz attacking to protect her baby especially if startled by a quiet-group roaming the woods. The brown would normally call her cub to her and head off deeper into the woods putting as much distance between the unknown and herself.

Either way it doesn't sound like the bear was being a predator and hunting the teens - just a chance encounter that ended up being unpleasant ...

The Grizzly Bear and the Brown Bear are the same Animal which also includes the Kodiak. They are all "Ursa Horribilis".

 

[NaeKid]

Down here, brown and black bears are the "same" animal while grizzly bears are larger with a hump over their shoulder. The grizzly is known as Ursus arctos horribilis while the brown is just Ursus arctos, the grizzly being a sub-species of the brown-bear and the Kodiak is just another name for the grizzly (which is region dependant).

There are also hybrids of grizzly with polar-bear with the last known being shot during a hunting trip in 2006 - there was quite a stink about that one.

Semantics aside - there seems to be a bit of a personality difference (at least here in southern Alberta) between our grizzly and black/brown populations .... either way, hope the teens heal quickly and get back to the outdoors again ...