A couple of nights ago around midnight, I was awoken by a rather large Black Bear. I climbed out of bed to discover its nose less than a metre from me. Fortunately, we were separated by a windowed door.
This bear was not that bear. I saw this equally massive fellow yesterday afternoon many kilometres away. Yet, the experience was similar — a remarkably close encounter with a Black Bear during which each stared into the other’s eyes. We pondered the world of the other, then drifted apart with neither having any real comprehension.
Well put, Alistair;
I haven’t heard of sightings on this side of the lake yet, but I’m sure they’ll be wandering down the mountain soon.
Wendy
Who knows what goes on in bear brains? I’m guessing that for most animals there is a constant weighing of adequate safety vs. adequate food. Running away provides the greatest potential safety, though at the cost of time spent eating.
Doug, you are, of course, right. When I thought I heard it make disparaging remarks about the Bear Aware program, with its emphasis on bear proofing, I may have just been imagining it.