Bears, Salmon, Guns and Traffic Jams

The Wall Street Journal‘s Jim Carlton writes about the chaos caused when grizzly bears become accustomed to human presence, particularly around famous fishing grounds like Alaska’s Bird Creek. And it’s not just the bears that get out of hand. “On the evening of July 26, Alaskan State Trooper Ronald Hayes says he was called to investigate a showdown between two fishermen. According to witnesses, Mr. Hayes says, a fisherman on one side of the creek fired three shots into the air from his .50-caliber handgun to scare a lurking grizzly. Another fisherman on the opposite side of the creek complained that the fellow shouldn’t fire a gun with so many people around. In response, the gunman said, ‘I’ve got one of those [bullets] with your name on it,’ Mr. Hayes said, citing an audio recording of the incident made by a witness.”