Bear Viewing Etiquette
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While viewing the bears there are certain do's and don'ts that allow us to get along with the bears. First and foremost we have to remember that we will be in the bears house and the cardinal rule is Do Not Interrupt The Bears Activities - we try very hard not to alter the bears behavior in any way, if a bear reacts to us we are doing something
wrong - if we scare a bear we have failed as bear watchers. The bears we view are populations that have become accustomed to our presence, many individuals most certainly recognize our groups - they Tolerate us because our groups are Predictable - bears are not unpredictable-  People can be! Bears are intelligent animals, they are often as curious about us as we are about them.
We will position ourselves out in the open - visible to the bears, we won't approach bears but they often approach
us - we hold our ground - it is important that bears don't learn to make people move. Sub-adults frequently approach a group, Females with cubs approach
too - having a female with cubs approach is no more cause for alarm than the approach of a single bear. We are watching them and they deserve the chance to watch
us - from wherever they want. If we react the way they expect us to
react - by sitting quietly and enjoying the encounter - they will grace us with their
presence - blessing us with photo opportunities and memories for a lifetime. We view bears in areas where they are protected, it's only ethical. Human-habituated bears who haven't learned to associate people with food can be remarkably tolerant and rarely cause injuries.
Taken from the book
Living In Harmony With Bears
A project of the Alaska Audubon Society
Author Derek Stonorov
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