Grizzly Bear VS Silverback Gorrila

I have heard that the best thing to do in a grizzly attack, if you are unarmed, is to play possum. I have heard that shooting a grizzly with a handgun, unless he immediately succumbs to a fatal wound, often makes the situation worse. If he (or, more likely, she) is unwounded, she may just slap you around for a bit. Wounded, she'll be so mad she will likely kill you.

I was visiting my mother-in-law in a San Diego hospital in 2005, when we saw a man who had been mauled by a grizzly. He looked as if he had been messed up for good. My brother-in-law (her son) was with us. He is a staff writer for the L.A. Times. He was so interested he interviewed the man and did a page 1 story in the Times about the incident a couple of months ago. What is of some interest is that the grizzly was a small female, and it really wasn't as determined an attack as many. The man's daughter was with him at the time and she was also injured by the bear but not nearly as severely. Nonetheless, he was badly messed up. Fortunately, after much medical treatment, I'm pleased to report he made a full recovery.

One of my favorite novels is Frederick Manfred's "Lord Grizzly," based on the true story of mountain man Hugh Glass. In 1822 he was severely mauled by a she-grizzly. He was abandoned without gun, knife or "possibles" (flint and steel, that kind of thing) by his companions who thought he would certainly die and wanted to get away from the Indians. However, he ralled and, despite a shattered leg, crawled across a large portion of South Dakota and eventually made it to the nearest white settlement, Ft. Kiowa. There was also a movie starring Richard Harris about this incident. I think the title was "Man in the Wilderness"--rather mediocre, I thought...played much looser with the facts of the story.

A man-hunting, man-eating grizzly that stalks humans as prey is a very scary thought. Although it has been known to happen, however. Curiously, the generally much milder black bear is more likely turn to man-eater, especially in Alaska. There the word is that while playing possum may work with a grizzly, if a black bear attacks you, it wants to eat you! In the event of being stalked by a grizzly with predatory intent, I should think the best course of action, terrain and vegetation permitting, would be to climb a tree. Adult grizzlies are generally very poor climbers, unlike adult blacks.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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I have heard that the best thing to do in a grizzly attack, if you are unarmed, is to play possum.

This is my understanding as well (lie face down with your knees under you and your hands clasped behind your head and neck to try to protect your vitals as much as possible). I've also heard that you can try to throw your pack in an attempt to confuse the animal, which might buy you a few seconds (or not, I suppose).

In the event of being stalked by a grizzly with predatory intent, I should think the best course of action, terrain and vegetation permitting, would be to climb a tree. Adult grizzlies are generally very poor climbers, unlike adult blacks

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I think this is right, but it also reminds me of a joke I heard. If you're being chased through the woods by a bear and aren't sure whether it's a black bear or a grizzly, climb a tree. The black bear will follow you up. The grizzly bear will knock the tree over.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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I have heard that the best thing to do in a grizzly attack, if you are unarmed, is to play possum. I have heard that shooting a grizzly with a handgun, unless he immediately succumbs to a fatal wound, often makes the situation worse. If he (or, more likely, she) is unwounded, she may just slap you around for a bit. Wounded, she'll be so mad she will likely kill you.

I was visiting my mother-in-law in a San Diego hospital in 2005, when we saw a man who had been mauled by a grizzly. He looked as if he had been messed up for good. My brother-in-law (her son) was with us. He is a staff writer for the L.A. Times. He was so interested he interviewed the man and did a page 1 story in the Times about the incident a couple of months ago. What is of some interest is that the grizzly was a small female, and it really wasn't as determined an attack as many. The man's daughter was with him at the time and she was also injured by the bear but not nearly as severely. Nonetheless, he was badly messed up. Fortunately, after much medical treatment, I'm pleased to report he made a full recovery.

One of my favorite novels is Frederick Manfred's "Lord Grizzly," based on the true story of mountain man Hugh Glass. In 1822 he was severely mauled by a she-grizzly. He was abandoned without gun, knife or "possibles" (flint and steel, that kind of thing) by his companions who thought he would certainly die and wanted to get away from the Indians. However, he ralled and, despite a shattered leg, crawled across a large portion of South Dakota and eventually made it to the nearest white settlement, Ft. Kiowa. There was also a movie starring Richard Harris about this incident. I think the title was "Man in the Wilderness"--rather mediocre, I thought...played much looser with the facts of the story.

A man-hunting, man-eating grizzly that stalks humans as prey is a very scary thought. Although it has been known to happen, however. Curiously, the generally much milder black bear is more likely turn to man-eater, especially in Alaska. There the word is that while playing possum may work with a grizzly, if a black bear attacks you, it wants to eat you! In the event of being stalked by a grizzly with predatory intent, I should think the best course of action, terrain and vegetation permitting, would be to climb a tree. Adult grizzlies are generally very poor climbers, unlike adult blacks.

The advice we were given, which I mentioned above, is that the best way to avoid a grizzly attack is to stay stock still and not make eye contact. A grizzly should have no interest in you, unless it thinks you are a threat to its cubs. The biggest danger is that the grizzly may decide it has to investigate you before deciding that it has no interest and that consists of batting you around with very large razor sharp claws. In that case, the best course of action is to curl up in a ball. That is more or less what happened to the hikers who were mauled just before the incident I mentioned above. As I recall, it was a couple. The woman was attacked and played possum, with the bear ripping off her backpack (which certainly protected her) and mauling her back. She was injured, but not critically. The man, who had tried to distract the bear from mauling the woman, pretty much had his face ripped off.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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A man can outrun a gorilla pretty easily, I've read. Neither would have much chance of outdistancing a grizzly, which is extremely fast over short distances.

As long as we are talking about gorillas, have any of you heard of the "Ingagi" hoax? It's quite amusing. It purported to be a documentary of African adventure in which a tribe of gorilla worshipping natives delivers up tender maidens to gorillas, who carry their prizes off to a bestial fate in the jungle. Despite being a major box-office success, the "documentary" proved to be total fake and was more or less suppressed. It used stock shots of African wildlife, but most of the movie was filmed, according to some sources, in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, and the "natives" were members of the L.A. area's African-American community--although according one Internet source, the principal (and doubtless the most winsome)"victim" (whose "rescue" occupies a good part of the documentary) was actually a white girl in blackface (appropriately enough for 1930). The "gorillas," I scarcely need to add, were men in costume.

Jan,
You are truly a fount of esoteric and informative information. The above cited movie/hoax Ingagi sounds hilarious. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it confirmed what you said. But there was no source to obtain or view the movie (at least that I could find on Google).

Do you think it would be possible to see the movie today or is it too politically incorrect and obscure?

Originally Posted by dopey

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The advice we were given, which I mentioned above, is that the best way to avoid a grizzly attack is to stay stock still and not make eye contact. A grizzly should have no interest in you, unless it thinks you are a threat to its cubs. The biggest danger is that the grizzly may decide it has to investigate you before deciding that it has no interest and that consists of batting you around with very large razor sharp claws. In that case, the best course of action is to curl up in a ball. That is more or less what happened to the hikers who were mauled just before the incident I mentioned above. As I recall, it was a couple. The woman was attacked and played possum, with the bear ripping off her backpack (which certainly protected her) and mauling her back. She was injured, but not critically. The man, who had tried to distract the bear from mauling the woman, pretty much had his face ripped off.

Dopey, when was your grizzly adventure? I am wondering if we are both alluding to the same mauling incident in Glacier. The one I am referring to would have occurred about two years ago. The man in question didn't have his face ripped off, but he was scalped.

rnold, I doubt if any films of "Ingagi" have been preserved for posterity, alas. It would certainly have been great "campy" fun!

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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Dopey, when was your grizzly adventure? I am wondering if we are both alluding to the same mauling incident in Glacier. The one I am referring to would have occurred about two years ago. The man in question didn't have his face ripped off, but he was scalped.. . .

Closer to twenty years ago, but I am not surprised that both human and grizzly behavior have remained consistent.

One time, while living in Lebanon, New Hampshire some years ago, I was sitting outside my girlfriend's house. It was later in the evening and her back yard was continuous with a spacious forest. I remember hearing a lumbering sound coming from the woods that night, and it was accompanied by an occasional deep pitched growl. Although it was dark, I could discern a large black shadow coming directly toward me (or rather the garbage cans that were not too far behind me). I jumped from my chair and ran like hell up the steps into her house, locking the door behind me. My girlfriend came from the bedroom to see what the comotion was all about. I told her that a bear had charged into the backyard and that I narrowly escaped. She rolled her eyes and said, "well go scare it off, I have to change the license plates on my car". I thought this was the most daft thing I had ever heard and told her to get a grip on herself. She rolled her eyes again, went to the kitchen, returned with a pot and a large ladle, and marched outside making an awful racket with the pot and ladle. I think she circled the house a couple of times before returning to me. "My hero", she smirked as she handed me the pot and ladle. "If you haven't been too traumatized", she asked, "would you mind holding the flashlight while I change the license plates"? Needless to say I married her......

Now, tell me, was I a chicken or was she a little too confident? She is an experienced camper and I am a city-slicker through and through. But still, a bloody pot and ladle? She still bugs me about it to this day.......

There are, I think, about a half-million black bear in North America. A number live right at the outskirts of the Greater Los Angeles area, for example. Yet serious attacks are very rare. They are much less aggressive than grizzlies. Your story about your girlfriend and her pot and ladle is fairly typical--both of people familiar with these animals and of how they usually respond. (A good friend of mine once whacked one on the arse with a wine bottle for the merry hell of it!) However, there is the occasional exception. A large male black bear can go 400 pounds, a really huge one can weigh 600 pounds--as much as a big male mountain grizzly. They are physically capable of inflicting just about as much mayhem as a grizzly should they so choose. They can and do kill people. Thus, I think they should always be regarded with a considerable degree of respect and caution.

Perhaps you were a little timorous, but your girlfriend/wife does sound a little on the cocky side as well.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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A good friend of mine once whacked one on the arse with a wine bottle for the merry hell of it!

That is priceless!!

I remember hearing that old country fairs and carnivals would occasionally host an event that involved volunteers from the audience climbing into the ring to wrestle a bear for a few rounds. YouTube is slowly turning into a repository for all things Americana, so I plugged in bear wreastling (probably should have spelled it "rasslin") and found this:



Admittedly the bear in the video is a wisp of what we are talking about, but it was entertaining to watch some young fellow all liquored up and full of beans trying to pin the beast and impress the ladies.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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There are, I think, about a half-million black bear in North America. A number live right at the outskirts of the Greater Los Angeles area, for example. Yet serious attacks are very rare.

Bears hate driving in traffic. Thank heavens we lack an accessible rapid transit system.

Jan, not to suggest anything, but how could you have seen the victim of a Grizzly attack in a San Diego hospital in 2005, when the Grizzly has not inhabited California since the pioneer era? Was he a zoo trainer?

Originally Posted by Manton

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Jan, not to suggest anything, but how could you have seen the victim of a Grizzly attack in a San Diego hospital in 2005, when the Grizzly has not inhabited California since the pioneer era? Was he a zoo trainer?

The attack had occurred in Glacier National Park in Montana, but by the time I saw him, he had been sent to the hospital in La Jolla. He lived in that area and he was a senior employee at that very hospital (Scripps).

Actually, grizzlies survived in California well beyond the pioneer era. The last grizzly to be killed in California was shot in 1922. There were some probable sightings of isolated individuals for a few years after that, and that was the end of them.

A grizzly was shot in Big Tujunga Canyon just north of Los Angeles in 1916. However, there is a high probability that this animal was actually an escapee from the Los Angeles Zoo. Otherwise, the last grizzly in Southern California was one killed in the Santa Ana mountains in 1908. As I recall, the last grizzly killed in the San Gabriels was shot in 1902.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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The attack had occurred in Glacier National Park in Montana, but by the time I saw him, he had been sent to the hospital in La Jolla. He lived in that area and he was a senior employee at that very hospital (Scripps).

Actually, grizzlies survived in California well beyond the pioneer era. The last grizzly to be killed in California was shot in 1922. There were some probable sightings of isolated individuals for a few years after that, and that was the end of them.

A grizzly was shot in Big Tujunga Canyon just north of Los Angeles in 1916. However, there is a high probability that this animal was actually an escapee from the Los Angeles Zoo. Otherwise, the last grizzly in Southern California was one killed in the Santa Ana mountains in 1908. As I recall, the last grizzly killed in the San Gabriels was shot in 1902.

I knew you would have a convincing answer.

Originally Posted by fareau

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One time, while living in Lebanon, New Hampshire some years ago, I was sitting outside my girlfriend's house. It was later in the evening and her back yard was continuous with a spacious forest. I remember hearing a lumbering sound coming from the woods that night, and it was accompanied by an occasional deep pitched growl. Although it was dark, I could discern a large black shadow coming directly toward me (or rather the garbage cans that were not too far behind me). I jumped from my chair and ran like hell up the steps into her house, locking the door behind me. My girlfriend came from the bedroom to see what the comotion was all about. I told her that a bear had charged into the backyard and that I narrowly escaped. She rolled her eyes and said, "well go scare it off, I have to change the license plates on my car". I thought this was the most daft thing I had ever heard and told her to get a grip on herself. She rolled her eyes again, went to the kitchen, returned with a pot and a large ladle, and marched outside making an awful racket with the pot and ladle. I think she circled the house a couple of times before returning to me. "My hero", she smirked as she handed me the pot and ladle. "If you haven't been too traumatized", she asked, "would you mind holding the flashlight while I change the license plates"? Needless to say I married her......

Now, tell me, was I a chicken or was she a little too confident? She is an experienced camper and I am a city-slicker through and through. But still, a bloody pot and ladle? She still bugs me about it to this day.......

You chose well. Sounds like a great girl.

My nephews are full of these hypothetical "who would kick whose ass?" type of scenarios...probably from the TV show mentioned in this thread.

FWIW, there are some big cats roaming the midwest. Last year a group of us gained access to 80 acres in Fulton County, IL. We were walking the property and noting signs of deer when someone in our group yells over "What the hell kind of rub is this?" We walk over and 1/3 of a huge oak was completely de-barked and gouged from the ground up to about 6'. The realtor showing us the property was an avid hunter and outdoorsman said "You don't want to know what I think that is." Our fears were confirmed when a local kid came by to ask permission to fish our lake and told us the story of his cat sighting.

Talking about it later somebody mentioned an acquaintance who sighted a big cat up in Wisconsin while sitting in a deer stand. After researching the subject and talking to Wisconsin DNR it was conjectured that these animals crossed the plains from the Rocky mountains in search of food.