I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967
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There are also about 15,000 bears in Canada for similar reasons.
A grizzly catches salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska
What’s the difference between black bears and grizzlies?
It’s important to know the difference because grizzlies can be more dangerous.
Grizzlies and black bears can be hard to tell apart. Both can be black, brown, and blond. Grizzlies are usually bigger but not always.
The best way to tell the difference is that grizzlies have a hump between their shoulders. Black bears’ and grizzlies’ faces also look different from the side — black bears’ profiles appear straight; grizzlies’ have a dip in them, which is sometimes called a “dished-in profile.” Grizzlies’ claws and black bears’ claws are also shaped differently.
One more difference: Black bears CAN and do climb trees. Some grizzlies do, but they are far less likely to.
Study these pictures to see the other differences.
What should I do if I surprise a grizzly in the wild?
You probably won’t. Remember, grizzly sightings are very rare. And of course now that you know all the rules of hiking and camping in grizzly country, it’s even less likely you’re going to see one. But just so you know (because it’s pretty interesting), here’s what experts say to do:
Most bears will not attack. So the most important and probably hardest thing to do is to stay calm.
Do not run. This will cause the grizzly to run after you.
Keep an eye on the bear, but don’t stare it in the eye.
Speak in a low, calm voice. This is so the grizzly realizes that you are a human.
Walk slowly away, while still facing the bear.
Here’s where things get complicated …
If a grizzly bear starts following you, climbing a tree is not a definite escape — some grizzlies do climb!
Sometimes a bear will charge you, as a “bluff.” It is trying to scare you. But you shouldn’t run. Most charges stop before the bear is very close.
BUT, if the bear keeps coming, just before it gets to you, fall to the ground. Lie on your stomach, hook your hands behind your neck, and play dead.
Keep your backpack on to protect your back.
Dig your toes and elbows into the ground so the bear can’t roll you over.
If it rolls you over, try to get back onto your stomach.
Be quiet and don’t move. The attack should be quick and the bear will go away once it feels it is out of danger.
After the bear leaves, stay still for as long as possible. If you start to move too soon and the bear is still nearby, it could resume the attack.
Is Glacier National Park cleaner and safer today than it was in 1967?
The events of August 1967 really did change Glacier and all of America’s sixty national parks. But those parks, including Glacier, are still facing serious threats.
More people than ever are visiting America’s parks; last year, over three million people visited Glacier, compared to about 900,000 in 1967. Bigger crowds mean more garbage, more noise, and more pollution from cars, motorcycles, and RVs.
Another serious problem is climate change, which is making summers hotter and drier, especially out west. This is causing bigger and more frequent wildfires throughout the west.
America’s national parks are treasures. Park rangers work hard to protect the animals that live there and the people who visit. We all need to work together — and speak out — to make sure our national parks get the attention they need and deserve.
How can kids help protect the wilderness and the animals that live there?
This might seem like a strange answer, but here it is: Don’t buy bottled water or use plastic grocery bags. Why? Because when you throw away a plastic water bottle or a plastic bag, there’s a good chance that it is going to wind up in the wilderness or in the ocean.
Because that’s where a huge amount of our trash winds up.
An estimated eight million tons of plastic are swept into oceans every single year. Right now, in the Pacific Ocean, there is an island of plastic that is at least as big as the state of Texas.
It’s horrifying to think about what all this plastic is doing to fish, dolphins, whales, and birds. Plastic bags and straws end up in forests, streams, and rivers, where they harm animals, including birds and fish.
But here’s the hopeful news: You can help solve this problem by avoiding plastic whenever you can. Here are some simple steps you and your family can take:
Stop using plastic bags and buying bottled water. Instead, use reusable shopping bags, and get yourself a great-looking reusable water bottle to carry with you.
Band together with your friends, teachers, and parents and encourage your school cafeteria to not use plates or utensils that get thrown away.
Don’t buy single-sized servings of chips and cookies; they create too much waste.
Learn more about recycling. Some plastic can be recycled.
To learn more about grizzlies and bear safety:
Get Bear Smart Society, bearsmart.com
National Park Service, nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm
To learn more about protecting animals and the environment:
The World Wildlife Fund, worldwildlife.org
The Nature Conservancy, natureconservancy.org
To learn more recycling and creating less garbage:
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/reduce/
Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, by Stephen Herrero, Revised Edition, Lyons Press, 2002
Bearman: Exploring the World of Black Bears, by Laurence Pringle, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1989
Fate Is a Mountain, by Mark W. Parratt, Sun Point Press, 2009
Glacier National Park: The First 100 Years, by C. W. Guthrie, Farcountry Press, 2008
Glacier Park’s Night of the Grizzlies, DVD, KUFM TV/Montana PBS, 2010
Mark of the Grizzly, by Scott McMillion, Second Edition, Lyons Press, 2011
Night of the Grizzlies, by Jack Olsen, Homestead Publishing, 1996
Pictures, a Park, and a Pulitzer: Mel Ruder and the Hungry Horse News, by Tom Lawrence, Farcountry Press, 2003
When Bears Whisper, Do You Listen? Expert Techniques for Viewing Bears and Negotiating Close Encounters, by Stephen F. Stringham, WildWatch Publications, 2009
THE AUTHOR IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Lauren Tarshis’s New York Times bestselling I Survived series tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters. Lauren has brought her signature warmth, integrity, and exhaustive research to topics such as the September 11 attacks, the American Revolution, Hurricane Katrina, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, among others. Lauren lives in Westport, Connecticut, and can be found online at laurentarshis.com.
THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII, AD 79
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1776
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, 1863
THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE, 1871
THE CHILDREN’S BLIZZARD, 1888
THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE, 1906
THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, 1912
THE SHARK ATTACKS OF 1916
THE HINDENBURG DISASTER, 1937
THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR, 1941
THE NAZI INVASION, 1944
THE ATTACK OF THE GRIZZLIES, 1967
THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ST. HELENS, 1980
THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005
THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI, 2011
THE JOPLIN TORNADO, 2011
Text copyright © 2018 by Dreyfuss Tarshis Media Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2018 Scholastic Inc.
Photos ©: Grizzly on hind legs: Paul Sawer/Minden Pictures; mother grizzly and two cubs: Courtesy National Park Service; grizzly and car: 4X5 Collection/Superstock, Inc.; bear country sign: Stephen Saks/Getty Images; grizzly in Alaska: Thomas Mangelsen/Minden Pictures; bear comparison chart: Courte
sy Chuck Bartlebaugh/Be Bear Aware Campaign
Special thanks to John Hechtel
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