Yeah, I couldn't remember his name. From what I've heard, a bunch of people from Alaska who knew him are not thrilled with how the documentary framed things. They blame him for his girlfriend's death, the bears' death, and of course his own death.
And just like the wolf torturer in Daniel Wyoming, they're talking about patterns of behavior. Aggressiveness, having to have his way, not listening to actual experts, throwing his weight around, ....toxic masculinity.
Jupes and I run into the occasional coyote. Not too long ago (late this past winter) a juvenile followed us for a bit. It wasn't aggressive, just curious. I never felt threatened. Not once.
I've run into bears (black bears) out picking blackberries or on a trail too, when I lived back east. I was never concerned for my safety. Not once. With one exception. When I was with or in the vicinity of a man too, that I didn't know well. And that's because of that 6% who think they can fight and take a bear. I have an experience from when I was a little girl of a man in a picnic grounds putting me in harm's way trying to punch a bear, or smack it's muzzle. What.the.fuck.ever. Trying to "tag" a bear to prove his mangood.
He was, of course, drunk as a skunk.
He nearly got got. I was within 15 feet of that bear.
It was completely peaceful and no threatening till then.
My grandma had actually sent me to draw it away because the dogs were going crazy and some babies were crying. And I already had a reputation for being very good with wild animals.
But this drunk guy created a situation where I or anyone else from the other families that were having a picnic that day could have been hurt.
All to stroke his own ego.
I pick the bear. Bears don't cause unnecessary drama over their ego. People do.
This really is hilarious to me. The stories and videos just keep coming. Woman after woman, around the world, anyone who lives in bear country, just existig peacefully alongside bears while men are screaming at us that we're crazy and delusional because bears will kill us and eat our faces off, and we'll be dead anyway so what does it matter, and blah blah blah.
Still picking that bear.
