Are Wolves Contributing to Bear Maulings?
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Hey guys –
I am in a bit of a Twitter spat with one of the editors over on Slate; she recently posted a fantastic story which you guys can read here:
Great article. My beef with it was that she had artificially decided to limit the discussion to the boundaries of Yellowstone Park itself, which leaves out the fatal bear mauling which occurred in the Soda Butte campground just 5.5 miles from the N.E. entrance on July 28, 2010.
After nearly three decades without bear-caused killings in the Yellowstone area, we have had a killing (and eating) with subsequent attack on other campers in July 2010, followed by two separate killings (and eatings) in summer 2011. Obviously the summer 2012 season is not yet upon us.
It seems likely that some of this is being caused by the bear population returning to near historic levels in the Park ecosystem, which is forcing bears to start thinking more creatively about food sources. As discussed in the article, when the Park Service discontinued its dump-feeding program in 1975, the bear population crashed to only 600 bears in the whole park. Thus for the last few decades the bears have had a cornucopia of feeding opportunities and the supply outran the demand.
One factor not mentioned in the article is the reintroduction of wolves in 1997. We know that wolves have expanded their territory and have changed prey behavior, most notably causing elk to stay out of the lowlands and away from the rivers (evidenced by the growth of the creek-loving cottonwoods for the first time since the 1920s in some cases).
My theory is that increased apex predator competition has the bears acting naturally for the first time in about a century. And grizzly bears naturally preyed upon humans throughout the historic period. The Lewis and Clark expedition had numerous bear run ins, some of which were pretty hairy as their weapons weren’t necessarily strong enough to kill a grizzly in a single shot.
Bottom line is anglers going into Slough Creek or fishing the Lamar or Soda Butte need to start being increasingly bear aware. I have never carried bear spray in the Park but that is going to have to stop. I think it’s also a real good idea for anglers to do everything they can to increase their party size to at least three individuals. I am not aware of any documented attacks on parties of three or more. That also includes sleeping arrangements. Bear spray also needs to be in the tent and handy.
Deb Freele was an angler who was mauled in the Soda Butte incident (apparently even with bear spray in her tent, but she couldn’t get to it). Probably not a bad idea to keep the can in the bag with you while sleeping.
I am not advocating any kind of cull whatsoever but we do need to start thinking seriously about these bears and not simply hoping that following the rules about food storage will keep us safe.
Zach
I am not aware of any documented attacks on parties of three or more.
Last summer was a hot one for bear attacks.
I think it’s also a real good idea for anglers to do everything they can to increase their party size to at least three individuals.
Helpful hint – this party should consist of you, your fishing buddy, and one fat, slow person with bacon in their backpack.
As an angler living in the region, I can tell you that I am legitimately scared of bears (bear-anoia). It limits where I will fish (especially in YNP, but other areas as well), even with buddies and pepper spray. To be constantly wide-eyed and alerted by every odd sound takes some of the fun out of it. If you’ve got the stones, there are some excellent fisheries not getting as much pressure due to this. Call me a wimp – I think it’s prudent. I’m probably in the minority, however.
As for the impact of wolves on the food supply – it’s an interesting thought and not illogical as far as I know. It will surely add fuel to the massive bonfire built by ranchers and hunters who already oppose wolves. If there’s any merit to it, it might be the last straw for wolves in the area, which would be sad, imo.
Question (I didn’t have time to read the whole Slate article and I don’t recall from other media coverage): Aside from the Cooke City incident where the bear was apparently foraging, was the other bear determined to be killing for food? The stories I recall from the time implied that the hikers surprised the bear, and it was reacting to the “threat”.How do the bear attacks at Yellowstone compare to human/bear interaction in Canada and Alaska?
Historically, they’ve had bears, wolves, and more natural amounts of food supply up north for a lot longer than it’s been present in Yellowstone.
Helpful hint – this party should consist of you, your fishing buddy, and one fat, slow person with bacon in their backpack. This operates on a principle similar to how fighter jets drop chaff to deflect an attack from a heat seeking missile.
bd
Chaff => Radar Guided Missile
Flare => Heat-Seeking MissileThis is a pretty interesting discussion as it relates to carrying capacity of the ecosystem.
No, I don’t think the wolves are a contributing factor to all the recent bear maulings. It’s just more humans in the back country in my opinion, and not taking the proper precautions when visiting grizzly country.
Grizzly bears are extremely territorial, not to mention very aggressive when it comes to protecting food or a sow protecting her cubs. The people that have been mauled and killed just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I’ve read and heard it advised, when hiking in grizzly country, try to hike in groups of six or more, never hike alone. This was a mistake made by the more recent fatalities. One was alone, the other two were hiking together and made the mistake of running.
Lot of good information here. Roy Conley has the story right for the 2011 killings. In 2010 the bear in question invaded Soda Butte Creek campground right outside the NE entrance and killed and ate one camper in his tent. He was sleeping alone. It then moved on to Deb Freele in her tent. She described being pinioned by her arm (which snapped in the bear’s jaws) while the bear allowed its cubs to feed on her legs. She survived and is doing well after rehab from the reports, but obviously that sow was teaching her cubs. Teaching them to eat campers.
Ecosystems are complicated. Stream temps declined some after wolf reintroduction; biologists determined this was due to the wolves pushing out the elk from the lowlands, thus letting cottonwoods grow, which shaded the stream and lowered the temps to more favorable spawning conditions for cutthroat trout. Apex predator species like wolves thus impact the entire food web around them. Bears had been the only apex predators in that area for about 100 years and now they are sharing space again, not just with additional numbers of other bears but also with increasingly large numbers of wolves. The wolf population in the Park really only peaked out in the late-2000s from the 1997 introduction so the bears are still very much in an adaptive phase.
Incidentally I believe it is illegal to carry a firearm in Yellowstone and I know it is illegal to discharge one for any reason, including self-defense. We’ve discussed this before. I am sure a prosecutor would decline to prosecute someone who had actually been mauled and shot the bear, but shooting a charging bear? Bears make false charges. You are taking a significant legal risk bringing a firearm into the park. I think the most prudent and cost effective protection really comes down to party size; three or more seems to be the rule, and stay close.
Zach
PS Just read Tim’s link.
I was in Glacier and Banff last summer and saw more bears than I have ever seen in my life and fewer elk than I have ever seen.
Chaff => Radar Guided Missile
Flare => Heat-Seeking Missile::)
I knew some nerd would come along and nitpick this.
*Disclaimer* I don’t have access to all of the most recent work done in the field right now because I am working at a pretty remote site in the Aleutian Islands. I would guess there has been more work done looking at the relationship trends between the Bears and Wolves in Yellowstone. That being said, this discussion peaked my interest in what had been published in the peer reviewed journals on the topic of Wolf – Bear interaction in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Here are a excerpts couple papers that I found in a quick search.
Grizzly Bear, Ursus arctos, Usurps Bison Calf, Bison bison, Captured by Wolves, Canis lupus, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
MacNulty, DR | Varley, N | Smith, DW
Canadian Field-Naturalist [Can. Field-Nat.]. Vol. 115, no. 3, pp. 495-498. Jul-Sep 2001.“We describe an adult Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) usurping a Bison (Bison bison) calf from a pack of five Wolves (Canis lupus) attempting to kill the Bison in Yellowstone National Park during early spring. Five Wolves grabbed the hind end and neck of the calf while it was trailing behind two adult male Bison. In 3 minutes a Grizzly Bear arrived and displaced the two Wolves attacking the hind end. For 1 minute the Grizzly Bear attacked the rear of the Bison while three Wolves attacked the front end. The Grizzly Bear subsequently pulled the struggling calf from the Wolves and made the kill. The Wolves were unable to displace the Grizzly Bear from the carcass. Our observation demonstrates the capacity for Grizzly Bears to exploit the predatory abilities of Gray Wolves restored to Yellowstone National Park. Kleptoparasitism by Grizzly Bears on Wolf-captured ungulates may be a selective pressure promoting group living in Wolves, and could provide an important new food resource to threatened Grizzly Bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
Yellowstone after Wolves
DOUGLAS W. SMITH, ROLF O. PETERSON, AND DOUGLAS B. HOUSTON
330 BioScience • April 2003 / Vol. 53 No. 4
“Grizzly bears. The grizzly bear population in the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) has increased dramatically since the 1970s, although the bears are still listed as threatened under provisions of the Endangered Species Act. In 2001 the population was estimated at 354 bears, including 35 sows with cubs at heel (Haroldson and Frey 2001). Fifty-eight wolf–bear interactions have been recorded in YNP. Most interactions occur at wolf kill sites, where control of the carcass is hotly contested; typically, bears pre- vail in the encounter even though wolves outnumber them. In one case a bear held 24 wolves at bay. Although fully capable of killing ungulates, especially in spring, grizzly bears now appear to seek out wolf kills and are often successful at driving wolves from carcasses.”Additionally, an excellent book on the topic of top level predators is called “Where the Wild Things Were”
Since Feb, 2010, possessing firearms in YNP is governed by applicable local, state and federal law, not NPS policy. So, consistent with those regs, carrying is OK. But then, NPS says you can’t discharge a firearm in a park. http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm
That said, I’d never suggest feeling that you’re safe because you’re “prepared” to take on a big bear with a handgun. Nor do I expect most people could hit a bear-size target – – – on the move – – – with a handgun. Anybody ever try hitting a washing machine-size target while it and/or the shooter is moving, and given the time (seconds) that a bear can close to kissing distance in.
I’d think the bacon theory is more likely to succeed.
Buzz
I’ve backpacked and fished extensively in YNP, particularly the Lamar and Slough Creek watersheds…..ditto for Alaska. I’ve seen plenty of brown bears (or grizzlies) in both places. Let me tell you….I’m terrified of the Yellowstone bears….the AK bears not so much.
I’ve backpacked and fished extensively in YNP, particularly the Lamar and Slough Creek watersheds…..ditto for Alaska. I’ve seen plenty of brown bears (or grizzlies) in both places. Let me tell you….I’m terrified of the Yellowstone bears….the AK bears not so much.
Steve, is there any specific reason why you’re terrified of the Yellowstone grizzlies, and not so much so for the Alaska grizzlies?
You know those Youtube videos you see every couple years where some moron in Yellowstone tries to pet a bison or throw sticks at a moose from 15 feet away? Would it give you any peace of mind if you saw that same moron walking up the path toward you and he had decided he needed to pack a .44 for the bears?
bd
Truth.
Thanks to Nate Sather for a very interesting post. I am definitely adding “kleptoparasitism” to my lexicon.
bd
You know those Youtube videos you see every couple years where some moron in Yellowstone tries to pet a bison or throw sticks at a moose from 15 feet away? Would it give you any peace of mind if you saw that same moron walking up the path toward you and he had decided he needed to pack a .44 for the bears?
bd
Having some Bear experience myself i was going to recomend a handgun but you make a great point…handguns do not cure stupidity!
Truth.Benjamin,
Good question.
I typically fish (and camp) in Alaska during the salmon run. Food is everywhere. The bears are gorging themselves full of sockeye. As long as you don’t look and smell like a sockeye…no problems.
The Yellowstone bears on the otherhand….seem to always be desparate for their next meal. Most have made the connection between backpackers and food by raiding camps. They act totally different than the AK bears when they are around humans.
Of course I offer my disclaimer…this has been my experience.
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