Headed to Grand Teton National Park this summer? Take note–park officials have updated their bear-watching guidelines in light of recent incidents between grizzlies and humans in the park. For many years, the guidelines had said that visitors must stay more than 100 yards away from bears and wolves. While this guidelines was generally heeded, many visitors spotting bears on the side of the road would stop their cars and linger, some even climbing onto the roofs of their cars to photograph the bears.
The updated guidelines now state that “remaining, viewing, or engaging in any activity within 100 yards of bears or wolves” is against park rules. No more photo sessions on the side of the road if the bear is within 100 yards of you. Park officials made the update in light of recent incidents where bears charged at parked vehicles while people stood around and photographed the animals.
Two grizzly sows are quite fond of the camera, No. 399 and No. 610, and make frequent appearances along the road. Visitors have come to expect these appearances, and park their cars waiting hours for them to show up for a photo session. This year, the two sows have five cubs, which have often been caught trying to dodge cars as they run across the road. Grand Teton spokesperson Jackie Skaggs says that “it’s only going to be a matter of time we fear before one of those cubs gets hit.” We all know what happens when you get between a mama bear and her cubs, and that is exactly what the park is trying to avoid with these new guidelines.
Even though the park is trying to keep visitors safe and avoid an incident between a grizzly and human, there are some that do not agree with the parks decision. Among them is wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen. He says that the new guidelines are “laughable and incredibly retaliatory.” But Skaggs counters his argument, saying that the original rules needed to be revised because times have changed. The original wording of the guideline was written before people were camping out on the side of the road for 12 hours a day hoping to spot a bear. The most often encounter with bears or wolves had been on foot or on horseback in the backcountry…not along the road in the frontcountry. These new rules have been put in place to keep everyone visiting the park a little safer.
Read the full press release online.
Someone must tell the BEARS the new rules.
Viewing the roadside bears is statistically one of the safest activities in the park. People are falling off the Grand Teton all the time, rafters drown, riders fall of horses and break things.
Viewing the roadside bears is also GOOD FOR THE BEARS, recent research finds that neutral habituation (I.e., habituation to humans in the absence of food) results in reduced mortality, that is, they live longer lives.
So is there really a need for the new rules and do they make bears safer? My honest opinion after talking to a lot of people and from my own experience: No and no.