If there is any doubt about the ferocity of a grizzly bear, and there is judging by the countless videos of dimwitted tourists in Yellowstone, then one look at a captured Montana grizzly getting released back into the wild should eliminate them.
Earlier this week, a video posted on the popular Instagram page "Tourons of Yellowstone," showed Montana wildlife authorities relocating a 22-year-old grizzly that had been getting into chicken coops in the northern Whitefish Range.
When the grizzly was released from the giant metal trap, there was no delay on the grizzly’s part. The bear jumped out of the gate like an Olympic sprinter and lunged toward the first thing it saw — a video camera.
Aaron Teasdale, an award-winning travel writer, was there to document the release, and it was his camera the bear attacked.
“Check out how he explodes from the trap as soon as the door is high enough. Then he almost takes my camera with him," Teasdale said of his video.
Despite uploading it to that channel, Teasdale was quick to note that Tim Manley, the bear biologist who trapped and released the bear, was not a "touron."
Touron or not, the bear was in no mood for pleasantries. Within a second of being released, the camera was mauled.
Teasdale said he expected the grizzly to run toward the creek but the bear thought differently.
"He had his own idea which involved a bit of revenge on the damn humans with the audacity to trap him," Teasdale said.
The travel writer reminded readers of the importance of following proper protocol when in grizzly country.
“Be alert and aware of your surroundings, carry bear spray, every adult in the group should have their own bear spray — and know how to use it,” he said.
For the newcomers, the last part is particularly important. Bear spray is to be used when a bear is approaching a person. It is not to be used preemptively — like insect repellant.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
