Sitting here, wondering.....Did my parents give a rats ass whether I died? How did my mind come up with this question? Bears!!!
As you all know, I grew up in a very small isolated community in northern British Columbia. When I say small..I mean that!! There were times when the community was counted in hundreds..and those were in the few. It was in what the world now calls the Great Bear Rain forest..LOL..that term always brings a smile to my face. The same area that we now see all the advertisements about Kermode Bears and save the Bears..and such..Big tourist pulls. The same tourists that are prone to initiating near death experiences along the highways now, when they screech to a stop with no care who is behind them, to photograph these bears.
O.K. I understand, if I took a trip to Australia and a Kangaroo hopped out in front of me, I might..and I say, might, screech to a stop..although it is unlikely I would even consider driving there..because it would be something new to me. But, like folks who come from Kangaroo prone areas, a Bear is simply a fact of life in my Rain Forest. It is no different than an Eagle, or a Wolverine, (O.K. I have indeed stopped to gaze at one of those, but I was hiking, and there was no one behind me), commonplace.
So Bears were everywhere. They were in the backyard, in the school yard, around every single corner. They were all black..never once saw a Grizzly in town..I understand this has changed over time..but..back in the day..just big black bears with cubs. I remember often checking out the window to see the bears in the yard, and having to wait until they left, before going outside. However, once outside..we were fair game. None of us carried a rifle while we walked. We were instinctively loud. We also never walked alone in certain areas, and we had enough respect for bears that we understood they were up the food chain from us.
We wandered off in the bush continually. Not once.ever..was a single child harmed by a bear. We did not have cell phones to call home if one was spotted close by, and why would we bother..they were a fact of life. My mother would have told me not to bother her over something so silly as a bear!
Clearly not a single child at that time was cared for near as much as children today!! Did our parents send us outside with the knowledge we may be eaten by a bear, without any warning or weapon? Were we less important than children today? I doubt this is true..although perhaps sometimes a Mother would have said something like "get outside, and don't come back" but, again, doubtful she would mean never, and silently hope her child was chomped to bits by Bruno the bear. So.....why suddenly is bear spotting immediately cause for a phone call to the RCMP (who generally just shoot to kill the animal) and blasting bear fear all about? Bears have not changed from the 60's....I think...it is unlikely suddenly their brains have adapted to a mindset to go off and chew up children..Why is it so important to call officials when wildlife shows it's face in areas that clearly border their environment?
Yes, we the people have created garbage far beyond what we had back in the 60's. Insane amounts of smelly crap, diapers, food containers, stink that shouts to bears..Garbage that used to stay inside homes until garbage pickup, now is stacked outside. Only ones to blame are people..who clearly fear bears.
I have apple trees, which each year bear massive fruit, and that is not used by us. Every year at least one bear shows up to feast on the apples. There are not a lot of home close by, I now have the yard fenced, but somehow the buggers still manage to climb over and satisfy themselves..and..I don't care!! They have chowed down on anthills behind the house, chewed up clover, and the only issue I have with this is..poop..they do not always poop in the bush! But..I have never, and will never, call on a bear!!
You got kids? Teach them common Bear sense!! You chose to live next door to the bush..expect wildlife, and learn to share. Don't call the killer every time you see one, because that is the solution now, shoot the problem, and stop the complaints. Get a grip, and use your head. The bear doesn't want to deal with you, any more than you do with the bloody bear! Wait a while, and it will disappear, back to where it feels comfortable, and you can take a few precautions in your world to ensure there will be no problem.
I am just fed up with a world that does not understand they are not the sole residents of the area. I am fed up with folks who see fit to pick up a phone every time a creature wanders into their "space" not giving a minutes consideration they are basically assisting in the murder of this animal. No one is so clueless now to claim they didn't realize the solution would be a bullet. I'm fine with letting folks know there is a bear in the area..folks who may possibly come in contact, just a heads up..like we used to do.."take a friend when you go down Crawford's road"..because without a doubt there were bears wandering about. Make noise..stop look and listen..just like when crossing the road..keep an eye out..use your frigging senses!!
People have become so damn lazy!! They want someone to come along and take the "problem" off their hands, they just can't be bothered to expend a wee bit of energy to share their space.
Now, I hear how people are so concerned about the earth, and how my generation is the reason we have so many environmental problems..KISS MY ASS!! The past 25 years have caused far more damage to our planet than we ever imagined! Now..clue in..use common sense, and clean up your holier than thou acts! Teach your damn kids they don't own the land, drive your electric cars, and feel so smug, when you place a call because a wild animal has wandered into your world..because you care so much more than those you blame this mess on. Plastic people, bottled water people, battery people..throw away people..Recycled is not something you invented..recycled is something we used to live by..things lasted back in the day..now they are disposable..along with any bear that has the bad luck to step foot on your space!!
Teach your children to share, and respect..put down the phone, and enjoy nature, it is still all around us, and we need to learn to live with it!
