STRAYCAT’S DOGGONE BLOG

THE BEAR FACTS

September 26, 2004 on 12:57 am | In Humor |

Forest Ranger, Ima Treehugher, recently gave a lecture to a group of tourists who were planning a wilderness hike into the back trails of Yellowstone National Park. The following is an exerpt from that lecture.
Ms Treehugger: “Recently there have been signs of Brown Bear and Grizzly Bear activity within your proposed hiking area. Therefore, it is recommended that you exercise extreme caution and and vigilence while on your hike. You should equip yourself with orange safety vests to ensure that you can readily keep visual contact. Furthermore, it is advised that you attach small bells to those said vests so that you can audibly warn your fellow hikers should you encounter a Bear. It is imperitive that you learn to distinguish a Brown Bear from a Grizzly Bear. The Brown Bear, although not docile, poses little threat to hikers unless they are threatened or alarmed. You should walk quietly and unobtrusively around a Brown Bear at a minimum distance of 100 yards. The Brown Bears diet consists mainly of nuts, berries, small rodents and fish. The Grizzly Bear is far more aggressive, and should be avoided altogether. The Grizzly bear is a carnivore, and while it occasionally eats nuts and berries, its primary diet is fish and small game. The U.S. Forest Service guidelines indicate that the preferred method of distinguishing between a Brown Bear and a Grizzly Bear is to examine the fecal matter. The fecal matter of the Brown Bear is medium brown in color and and will contain minute particles of un-digested nuts and berries. The fecal matter of the Grizzly Bear is dark brown in color and will contain chunks of orange material and small bells.”