Bears Going Rogue

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Last Tuesday, a black bear went rogue and attacked  a curious hiker last Tuesday in the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.  Apparently, the bear was camera shy and viewed Tim Scott and his cell phone camera as members of the paparazzi, decided he didn't wish to be photographed doing bear stuffr, and puctuated that preference with some serious bear hugs.

Had it not been for Anthony Gobel, a 200 pound young man who climbs wind turbines for a living (apparently there are some new green careers emerging!), Tim Scott would have been bear food.   Gobel smacked the bear in the head with his pack hard enough to suprise him and get to Scott. 

When interviewed, Gobel said, "I'm thinking God put me there for a reason.  It's not a trip that we had planned.  It just happened."  I would say Gobel is right.  How is it you don't plan a trip to hike in the Red River Gorge Geological Area?  For me, a hike like that would have taken some MAJOR planning.  Heck, walking the twisted, winding road in front of my house requires a substantial amount of planning. 

I suppose his being 28 years old and in great physical shape may have something to do with his spontaneous decision to hike in a National Forest, but still?  For real?  You don't plan stuff like this?  Wow!  I am pretty sure that Tim Scott thinks Gobel's presence was divine intervention!

According to news reports, Tim Scott is an avid hiker.  If this is the case, a question begs to be answered here...Who, in their right mind, would say to himself - "Whoa, there's a bear up ahead.  Let me get my cell phone out and snap a few shots as I walk closer to the bear.  Oops...he disappeared under a ledge, so NOW I will call my wife  and tell her to take another trail ..."  What?  I sure don't want to be married to this guy.  When the bear reappeared, Scott tried to fend off the bear with a rotted tree branch.  OK...I am not the most experienced hiker in the world, but a rotted tree branch?  Are you serious?  Those tend to be rather fragile and crumble fairly easily.   He tried to hide behind a tree but the bear snagged his leg a threw him like a rag doll, then sank his teeth into Scott's thigh.  That would definitely be a come to Jesus moment for me. 

Apparently, Scott holds no grudge against black bears in general although he appears to harbor some resentment with this particular bear.  "He's a bad bear, and he needs to be taken out of circulation," Scott said, "But there's an awful lot of good bears there that shouldn't suffer because of what one bear did."  My questions to Tim Scott is how in the world does he know that bear is a bad bear.  Did the bear misdemeanors as a cub, occasional drive by swipings of hikers in other locations?  Or could it be this bear is protecting a cub good ol' expert hiker Tim Scott got too close to?  How is it the bear is bad when the human was in BEAR territory?  What makes a bear good or bad?  "This one chewed on me when I invaded it's territory.  He's bad.  This one only ate the garbage we left at our campsite and ran off when we emerged from the woods.  He's good."  Get real Tim Scott.  Bears are animals who have instincts - you know - that fight or flight thing.  You apparently posed enough danger in the bear's "mind" to be the recipient of the "fight" option.  My guess is that you were way to close to something it valued, possibly its privacy. 

Wildlife officers are working hard to identify the right bear to take out.  Seriously.  For Real.  I am Not Kidding.  I imagine a whole set of Wildlife Detectives heading into the woods to examine the crime scene- plaster of paris paw prints may have to be made to compare the footprints of potention bear suspects - maybe Tim Scott will have to identify the bear that attacked him in a black bear lineup.  Would that be considered racial profiling?  This story has made me laugh almost as much as the Shake Weight commercials on TV...If you haven't seen those, you tell ME what it reminds you of.  All I know is this.  If I am out for a walk in the woods somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains nearby, I will always give bears the right of way.  You see, I read Bill Bryson's account "A Walk in the Woods" and I don't want to meet a bear face to face anymore than he did!

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