Ripping apart supposedly "bear-resistant” containers must be a grizzly’s dream job, and that’s their main gig at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana.
The center, which focuses on long-term care for animals that cannot go back to the wild, occasionally lets bears obliterate fake campsites too.
Tourists gawk while the grizzlies devour food that’s been carelessly left out, stomp a tent into the ground and otherwise have the time of their lives.
And it’s all for a good cause – to teach visitors what not to do while camping in grizzly country, and what can happen if they ignore the rules.
Putting Containers To The Test
About two decades ago, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team reached out to the center, asking if the grizzlies there could test "bear-resistant” containers, such as garbage cans and coolers.
The center was happy to oblige. Companies pay to have their products brutally tested by the grizzlies there.
The center’s staff puts food inside containers that manufacturers tout as “bear resistant” (there’s really no such thing as 100 % bear proof).
Using a combination of their cleverness and brute strength, the grizzlies starkly demonstrate just how “bear resistant” each product is.
It keeps the bears busy, Tut Fuentevilla, the center’s education department curator, told Cowboy State Daily.
“We test about 100 containers every summer,” he said.
‘OK For Them To Have Some Treats’
On occasion, usually during major holidays such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, the center puts on its campsite demonstration.
“Basically, the idea is we try to re-create a careless, messy campsite,” Fuentevilla said.
“We make it fun, but it’s also done to show people what not to do,” he added.
There’s a tent, picnic table and all sorts of goodies to tempt the bears.
The bears are usually fed a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, but that all goes out the window during the campsite-trashing demonstration.
Hot dogs, marshmallows and other typical human-on-vacation table fare are left out in the open, or improperly stored.
“Every once in a while, it’s OK for them to have some treats, just like it’s OK for us to have some treats," Fuentevilla said.
During a recent demonstration, one of the bears punctured a Coke bottle, and was startled by the spray, he said.
“People love it. It’s very entertaining. They like the spectacle of it,” Fuentevilla said.
“The bears have a great time,” he added.
Grethen Heine, the center’s photographer and videographer, told Cowboy State Daily that the campsite apocalypse is a favorite part of her job.
“It’s always fun to watch them tear apart the campsite. The ultimate goal is that our visitors learn how to stay safe in bear country,” she said.
How About Polar Bears?
Besides being a ball for grizzlies and human spectators alike, the campsite demolition demonstration has real educational value, human-bear conflict prevention expert Kim Titchener told Cowboy State Daily.
“It’s a great, great program,” she said.
“These bears, they have a full-time job” trying to break into bear-resistant containers, so it’s good to know they get to go bonkers on a fake campsite from time to time, Titchener said.
“I think there’s real value in showing people the strength of these animals and their ability to smell things,” said Titchener, founder of the Bear Safety and More organization.
It would be great if polar bears were given a similar opportunity at a northern facility, she added.
“We would love to see something like that for polar bears someday,” Titchener said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
