I have to say that during my many years in Alaska I have heard some very wild bear stories, but this one may be the strangest. And the fact that it was caught on camera simply makes this almost too bizarre to believe.
There is a lot of talking at the beginning but the action starts around the 1:17 mark.
This is in Kodiak, Alaska for those who are curious.
That poor bear. An iconic representation of a mother's love of a special needs child. . .certainly the world was her oyster and whatnot. Because it is throughout all Alaska that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future. It must of been all those Red Bulls, Coke, S'mores and Taco Bell. Perhaps her Star of David necklace, beaded flag bracelet and Jesus Belt Buckle must of fell off on the roll down the mountain also.
ReplyDeleteVery good!! I was going to post something but I can't top that. You perfectly captured the garbled syntax and zany neuro-burps of our very favorite ratbag.
DeleteJust got off the phone with Park officials they are reviewing the footage, he didn't know whether there was a necropsy done on the bear. He will let me know if they are going to release a "offical statement" or any other details. He said many people have called about the video.
DeleteCWL
Thanks, I wondered why they said it was a heart attack when they had no idea. All that is clear is the bear had something wrong with it and died. When the bear stopped rolling, the stiffness of the legs was very strange. I have questions about this video. I suppose if the bear had a head injury it could have been having some kind of neuro-posturing or seizure activity, but it really looks like rigor.
DeleteIt's touching that these young men are so shook up about it. It is an unfortunate thing to witness.
ReplyDeleteWas there a necropsy? How do we know it was a heart attack?
ReplyDeleteInteresting as animals must die all the time yet humans very seldom see this is the wild.
There was something wrong with the bear, already, maybe congestive heart failure, the stomach looks a bit bloated.
DeleteI couldn't tell if this was a young or old bear? Yes was a necropsy done?
And yes, its was touching to see the young men saddened by the bears death instead of gloating with a pic of a dead animal...I would love to know the backstory here and if there was a necropsy etc.
Something congenital I suppose. She was too young to leave cubs, so that was fortunate.
ReplyDeleteI call bullsh!t. How can rigor mortis have set in so quickly? That bear is stiff as a board rolling down the hill.
ReplyDeleteSeizure
DeleteI noticed that also. Makes me think it was some kind of poisoning - are the muscles in tetany?
DeleteA seizure was my first instinct as wel.
DeleteHowever I showed this footage to a friend of mine who is a doctor and avid hunter, and has spent literally thousands of hours in the Alaska wilderness, and he believes it was a heart attack.
All I know for sure is that it is just about the most amazing video that I have ever seen.
Not much different( except that it is a wild animal and a bear at that) then when any other mammal such as a cat or a dog has a heart attack. I have witnessed both since I foster special needs seniors. I have also seen a horse do the same thing. Run like they can avoid the sudden pain and then collapse.
ReplyDeleteHow sad. The bear must not have been feeling well while napping. I wonder if an uncoated Bayer aspirin would have helped. I'm sorry; that was mean. What a beautiful animal and how sad that she died.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
She was sleeping in the show despite the fact she could have napped on grass.
DeleteI wonder if she was running a fever and wanted to try to cool down in the snow.
Poor thing.
It may have been a cub that had a congenital heart problem from the start. Where was the mom or other offspring and why was this cub alone? Do parent bears abandon their young when they sense they are sick?
ReplyDeleteI felt so bad for that poor bear, collapsing like that and rolling down that hill. Just part of the natural process, and survival of the fittest. Incredible that these guys caught it on video. I wonder if National Geographic or other programs will buy the footage for their many wildlife episodes?
It is hard to say from the video how old this bear is. If it was 3-4 (quite possible), then it is on its own. Bears will abandon a sick cub if they have more than one. Mother bears are concerned with their own survival and that of the healthier cub and if a sick cub cannot keep up, they will abandon it eventually.
DeletePoor bear!
Bummer ... was hoping it was the "other" mama griz.
ReplyDeleteYEAH REALLY!
DeleteThis one is better.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7s22HX18wDY
Yeah, now that's the way to start the day, watching one of mother nature's majestic animals die. What is with you Alaskans??? You really seem to celebrate, ogle and be fascinated with the death of living creatures. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's Sarah Palin's whole shtick, and the Lower 48er's eat it up.
DeleteDon't pin this on "you Alaskans." There are plenty of us up here who like our animals alive and healthy and ready to be "shot" with cameras.
DeleteIf you read the story carefully, see the vid, you might notice no one is celebrating, ogling or fascinated by this very natural "act of god". Watching someone or an animal die is not easy or pleasant but it is natural, Compare this vid with that of $arah and her daddy kill the cariboo. Now that was wanton, unnecessary killing, just for the pleasure of being able to take the life of a helpless creature.
DeleteDon't equate all Alaskans with Palin, 6:15 AM.
DeleteI've lived in Alaska for 25 years and would never dream of hunting an animal or fishing! We're not all "those types of people".
DeleteWEll, it seems that most would watch because they are interested in nature as are the BEAR RESEARCHERS in the video. It was a very unique thing to see any animal die of natural causes.
DeleteI just can't approve of this video. I know they were doing a job but I view this with as much pleasure as I would watching a video of my brother's fatal heart attack. It makes my heart ache so badly. I realize it's nature's course, but dammit my reality is tough enough as it is.
ReplyDeleteGryph didn't post it for approval, MM, he hosts a variety of topics. I am VERY sorry about your brother. I lost my father Labor Day weekend. I wish you peace.
DeleteWhen was that filmed? The bear looked as if it was shedding it's winter coat and it looks like Spring. Isn't 'wild Alaskan salmon' supposed to good for your heart?
ReplyDeleteI thought the bear looked a little thin too. It obviously isn't "now", with little snow, lots of greenery and bright sunlight.
DeleteI'm wondering how rigamortis set in when it came to a stop at the bottom, but in the next view the paws were limp.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to watch, let alone fully comprehend why such a beautiful creature would die so suddenly. Seeing how it effected the young man who filmed it was really touching. I hope they learned why and hope it isn't something that's contagious to other bears.
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