Living in the Rocky Mountains can be beautiful and it can be dangerous. Fatal in fact. Once again a brutal bear attack has taken place in a mountain community, and a woman has lost her life. The bear was eventually tracked and put down.   The bears are normally given three strikes. If they continue to frequent homes or are otherwise a direct threat, they are shot on sight. 

 

In this particular case, the woman had erected a flimsy wire fence around her porch and was regularly feeding the bears. One became aggressive and the fence was not much of a barrier. My sympathies go out to the family. I’m sure this lady didn’t think she was putting herself in jeopardy.

 

Another recent case in the news involved a mountain lion that on a warm summer night crept through the open french doors of a home, found the homeowner’s bedroom and snatched one of the family dogs. Not a small lap dog, but a medium to large sized retriever. Sadly, the dog was found dead some distance from the home. The homeowner’s can consider themselves fortunate that the lion’s attention never seemed to fall on them, and if it did, it quickly led elsewhere.

 

I’ve seen photos of and personally witnessed tourists in the Rocky Mountain National Park with their cameras pointed at the various wildlife and an amazingly short distance between themselves and the animal. It’s no wonder people get gored, stomped and bitten. What bothers me most is when I see a parent pushing a child to get closer for that photo op. 

 

There are signs everywhere to KEEP YOUR DISTANCE from the wildlife and not to feed them. The saying regarding bears is: A fed bear is a dead bear.  Unfortunately the saying becomes a fact over and over.

 

Rocky Mountain National Park is an unbelievable treasure full of postcard beauty. It offers an incredible opportunity for us to visit an environment as untouched by humans as it can be while still allowing humans the privilege of passing through it.