Just a black bear: A Yellowstone story

Way up in the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park, I stopped my car at a pull out overlooking a beautiful valley – expansive and deep with a thin blue creek running down the middle. This area of the park is considered prime grizzly bear habitat. It was my last day in Yellowstone and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a bear before I left. I had seen a lot of animals during my five day visit to the park - bison, mule deer, elk, river otters, coyote - but no bear.

The pull out was a popular place with bear fanciers - both the serious kind sporting powerful spotter's scopes and cameras with massive zoom lenses, and the recreational variety standing on rock outcrops and staring out into the valley with their own two eyes. There was much discussion about what there was to see out there. Unfortunately, the answer, at least on this day, was not much. People had stories, though. The bears they had seen here yesterday or last week. There was also the story of the mother grizzly and her cub that had been feeding on a bison carcass for the past five days. (And we worry when our meat from Whole Foods is one day past the expiration date.)

"Where are they?" some folks wanted to know. "Up in the Lamar valley, way up the hill on a plateau." "Well, where is that?" Maps came out. More stories flowed. Clearly, people get into bear watching up here. As a scientist who frequently works in National parks and wilderness areas, I have taken training on how to defend myself against a bear attack. The gossip about the grizzly-bison kill sighting made me smile. There are three important rules when dealing with bears: don't get between a mother and her cub; don't interfere with a feeding bear; and don't surprise a bear by walking up on it unexpectedly. This particular bear sighting violated all three rules. I'm surprised the witness survived to tell his tale!

In the end, nobody at this pull off was going to attempt to see the mamma bear and her cub. But not necessarily for any of the reasons above. It was just too far away and too far off the road. Someone asked if there was another spot nearby where they could see a bear. A guy who had just arrived at the pull off and was looking out through a pair of binoculars spoke up: "Well, I saw a black bear just up the road feeding on some shrubs." "Really?" People's interest perked up. "How long ago was that?" "Just a few minutes." "How far off the road to you have to hike to see it?" "I dunno. About five feet. He's literally right there."

Several of us jumped into our cars and headed in the direction that the guy indicated. He shouted to us as we were leaving, "It's just a black bear."

Just a black bear? It is so easy to become inured in this park with its rich population of wildlife. I was just minutes inside the Yellowstone park boundary when I spotted my first bison, feeding off the road in a ditch. I pulled my car over and snapped about a dozen pictures. Over time, I saw herds of bison – hundreds at a time. They're as commonplace here as squirrels in my neighborhood at home. I was stopped on the road many times in "bison jams," a common occurrence in which the animals congregate on the blacktop and bring traffic to a grinding halt. After just three days, I found myself getting irritated by the delays. People would confound the traffic woes by getting out of their cars to take photographs. They're just bison, I would mumble under my breath. It’s not a far cry from “just a bison” to “just a black bear.”

And speaking of black bears, the one I was trying to see was still wandering along the road when I arrived. There was a traffic jam, of course. But talk about a great sight. Here’s a picture of the big guy:

Even if I hadn’t taken my bear training, the National Park Service does an excellent job educating people about not getting too close to any of the wild animals in Yellowstone, but especially bears. There are reminders everywhere in the park. Still, when the opportunity arises, there will always be Darwin rejects who are willing to take the risk for a good photo. Note the couple who stepped out of their vehicle for a closer look. That’s about a two second sprint for the bear.

Surely, you know it’s only a matter of time. (Of course, you know where I am heading with this.)

"Ah, man, not another bison jam.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Well, something’s in the road. An elk?”

“No.”

“A moose?”

“Nah.”

“Well, what is it?”

“Just another tourist being mauled by a bear.”

“Damn, we’re going to be late for the old faithful eruption.”