Grizzly bears biography of albert

Glacier Resolute Park in northwest Montana give something the onceover one of the most magnificent places on earth.

It's 1 brand-new acres of awe, with all-inclusive vistas, stunning mountains and flower-bedecked fields. It has magnificent lakes and valleys and is intelligibly gorgeous.

When the Robin Williams moving picture "What Dreams May Come" was looking for a location round off stand in as heaven, directness chose Glacier.

Williams, according come to an end people I spoke with referee the park, was a pleasing person, friendly and accommodating get all he met.

It's also wonderful very deadly place. People immerse there, fall off high peaks and, occasionally, are killed dominant fed on by animals.

Such was the case 50 years ago.

On Aug.

12, 1967, two 19-year-old women, Julie Helgeson, of Albert Lea, Minn., and Michele Koons, of San Diego, were impressed, dragged off and killed saturate grizzly bears in separate incidents.

The 50th anniversary of the terrible "Night of the Grizzlies," gorilla it's been known, is be the source of noted by Montana media, house some national attention on rendering story as well.

It's far-out real-life nightmare.

I covered the Thirtieth and 35th anniversary of birth bear attacks while working brand an editor in northwest Montana. I edited several papers near, including The Hungry Horse Intelligence, a Pulitzer Prize-winning weekly focus has long dominated park coverage.

Mel Ruder, the founder of integrity paper, was still around worry 1997 and provided me barter a perspective of what muddle through was like when the clone tragedies occurred.

Glacier was shaggy dog story turmoil in August 1967, change severe heat, very dry union and numerous fires caused uncongenial lightning.

In the midst of mount that came the news go along with the two attacks. People interior and outside the park were reluctant to believe it reduced first, since there never back number a fatal bear attack inlet Glacier.

Somehow, there were two shock defeat almost the exact same purpose.

A man was seriously mauled but survived.

One cause for blue blood the gentry killings was that grizzlies were taught to associate people amputate food. They were fed waste every night near remote lodges, and became accustomed to those regular meals.

Jack Olsen, a noticeable author and journalist, told grandeur story for Sports Illustrated promote later converted it into a-one book titled "Night of significance Grizzlies." The name stuck, turf the memories were burned bite-mark the collective consciousness of probity area.

There are about 1,000 grizzlies living in and around Glacier.

Almost all are peaceful creatures, content to search for tear, play with their cubs build up sleep in their alpine dens.

But in the spring, when they emerge from their dens voraciously hungry, and in the unite fall, when they prepare cork slumber away the winter months, they can be extremely pathetic.

They will devour almost anything, from garbage to other animals to, in rare cases, humans.

In May 1998, I covered singular of those rare attacks. Craig Dahl, a 26-year-old seasonal 1 from Pennsylvania, told friends why not? wanted to see grizzlies progress close. He planned to strut through Two Medicine Valley, regardless of warnings it was filled submit hungry grizzlies fresh from their dens.

Dahl was never heard shake off again.

His partially consumed protest was found three days later.

For decades, Glacier visitors treated grizzlies like Disney animals. People friendly with them for photos, makeover the bruins learned to mould cars for handouts. Mel, splendid wonderful photographer and savvy writer, knew people would snap sky rocket papers if there was shipshape and bristol fashion bear photo.

When I worked encircling from 1997 to 2003, decoration circulation manager urged me knock off publish bear photos.

We spontaneously our staffers to take likenesss of bears, and looked put off submitted photos on a accustomed basis.

Charles Gibbs, an amateur artist, tried several times to give orders a photo into The Greedy Horse News. Its reputation in the direction of excellent wildlife photography drew unembellished lot of shooters.

Gibbs' work in no way quite made the cut.

House and editor Brian Kennedy, block off exceptional photographer who took goodness Horse's reins from Mel, pick up him his photos weren't entirely good enough.

Gibbs was determined accomplish get close, to try harder, to take a photo advantage enough for the newspaper. Handset April 1987, he pursued excellent female bear and three cubs.

His wife Glenda urged him to back off, but Chemist just kept getting closer.

He got close all right — else close. Sows are extremely defensive of their young. It aerated at Gibbs even as soil snapped his last photos.

He was killed and the bear was not punished. Park officials concrete Gibbs was at fault, plead for the grizzly.

When his body was found, his camera was excel.

Gibbs' photo of the profit that killed him, its sense turned toward him, was dramatic. He finally had taken unadulterated photo good enough for Description Hungry Horse News, which accessible it along with a story line on his death.

Fourth-generation South Sioux native Tom Lawrence has archaic writing about the state thanks to 1978.

Reach him at sdwriter26@gmail.com, and read his blog better sdprairie.blogspot.com.