Wild Pondies

..............[font=Georgia]Feel Free To Chat About Bears Here![/font]

Hi Karen, thanks for all the grizzly posts, I can't wait to see the bears again this summer

We're slowly but surely approaching the summer bear viewing and bear photography season. Some of us photographers have been out photographing bears for many years and some photographers may be going out into bear country for their first time this year.

Exercises extreme caution, awareness when out in bear country. If you choose to go out into bear country alone or with only one or two other people, it's strongly advised to make some noise as you move through the bush. Nothing is more dangerous than surprising a bear especially a female with cubs.

Some photographers will be going out to see and photograph bears for their first time with larger groups using professional guides. They say, there is more safety in numbers, but still exercises caution. One example of what I experienced: on one trip out to Katmai, a young couple momentarily separated from the group. They approached what appeared to be a rock just a few inches above the horizon, much to their surprise it was a brown bear that had dug out a bedding area and was napping. The bear sprung up, the young couple was surprise but no harm came.

Never stray from your group when out in bear country without checking with your professional guides first.

There may be times when you will want to move in closer to the bear to get a better picture. Under no circumstances should you do this with bears or any dangerous wildlife. Allow your experienced professional guides to help you get a better picture.

Remember if you're out in the Alaskan bush, you're always in bear country.

These are just a few helpful suggestions I've learned over the years from professional wildlife photographers and professional wildlife guides.

Bob Jackson
www.rjacksonphotography.com

SAFE IN BEAR COUNTRY

Another Tip for bear viewers, hikers and photographers who will venture out into bear country for their first time this summer.

Please exercise caution and make more noise when hiking on trails next to streams and rivers. Bears have hearing much better than humans, but my not be able to hear you over the noise of rushing water.

Also many hiking trails may have frequent hills, bends in the trail and tall brush. Please use extreme caution and make more noise .

Wildlife and especially bears frequently use the same trails we do and we sure don't want a surprised bear in front of us.

Bob Jackson
www.rjacksonphotography.com

Thanks for your tips, Bob. Here's something else bear lovers might find interesting:

Dyslexic Man Acts as Papa Bear to Cubs - Ben Kilham Raises Wild Bears and Says He Can Communicate With Them Like People

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4408551&page=1

The documentary (A Man Among Bears) airs on the National Geographic Channel this Saturday at 6:00PM and 9:00PM (PST).

Bear expert Ben Kilham wants to change current scientific thinking about black bears. He hopes to show that black bears are intelligent, and that their share social interactions have parallels with human society. Twelve years ago, wildlife officials asked Ben to raise three abandoned black bear cubs, since at the time, Ben was the only person in New Hampshire licensed to rehabilitate wild bears. Since then, Ben has hand-raised fifty black bear cubs. Today, he follows these same bears--and their offspring--around the forests of New Hampshire. Squirty is one key to his successful interaction with these bears. She's one of the cubs he first met twelve years ago, and she has allowed Ben to get close to her and her offspring. Now she shows Ben her fifth set of cubs. Ben believes another key to his close relationship with the bears is the way he views the world: in pictures. As a child, Ben struggled with dyslexia and didn't have the confidence to fulfil his dream of working with animals. But at age 40 Ben discovered his IQ was exceptionally high, and decided not to let anything stop him from understanding the world of black bears-his way. Follow Ben as he reveals the social interactions of these bears, and attempts to conduct several tests to demonstrate the bears' intelligence.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/c ... title=5089