Lions and tigers and...

[jay]

There are some hazards associated with working in the far north, including a slim chance of polar bear attacks. Four years ago a yearling actually came into camp, but the camp dog chased it away.

Since my project is approved for field tests this summer, I'm going to be in a slightly-weird workplace training program all day tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday... a class which the US Geological Survey holds annually on basic defensive firearms safety for US Gov't. employees travelling in grizzly and polar bear country. The USGS has held this class for over ten years, after one of their employees very nearly lost her life from a bear attack. Instead she only lost her arms (amputated).



This will be taught south of San Jose (Morgan Hill) at a target range.
No prior experience with guns is required... it's called colloquially (heh) "shotguns for scientists." The USGS provides the firearms and the ammunition. They will supposedly start us off with .44 magnums (last resort in camp defense with minimal power (?)), then progressing to shotguns with slugs, and .30-06 and .45-70 Winchesters. Also taught will be defensive attack stopping (without firearms), basic center of mass targets, moving targets, and a complex rescue scenario (i.e., killing a mother of cubs is generally regarded as a no-no).

The USGS guy who runs the course asked me today over the phone what my holster preferences were... okay, so this just seems a bit alien to me. I wonder if John Cleese does the training videos...

I will also have to sign affidavits that I have never been institutionalized for mental illness and have no convictions or citations for any form of domestic violence. That's not a problem, certainly, but it still seems weird to me. "Just routine paperwork, all Federal employees carrying weapons on the job have to fill these out," said the USGS manager.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Aw, they're too cute to hurt a flea. . . :)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Heh... the little ones *are* cute... although two years ago we had a den of Arctic foxes a few miles away, whose cubs were even cuter...

[elorie.livejournal.com]

yah, polar bears are one of those predators that look at human beings and think "lunch".

I've read that because of climate changes and other factors that polar bears are in trouble, they can't find enough food. Do you know if that's true? Because if it is, that would mean they are more likely to come wandering into your camp.....the black bear population exploded a few years ago in the Appalachians, in this case it was an OVER abundance of food which then dropped off. They were just after the campers' food though, not the campers themselves :) (not that a pissed off black bear couldn't do some damage). I saw warning signs about food containers, etc. for the first time in the Chattahoochee Nat'l Forest.....black bears are normally very shy, but there were so many of them and they were so hungry that they took to seeking out campsites. "Keep an eye on children" was also part of the warning.....

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... well, black bears might be tempted to sample a toddler. I've run into a couple in the Appalachians (once, nearly literally) and I tend to think "overgrown raccoon" :-).

Polar bears... they see themselves as the top of the local food chain. They will stalk and hunt humans, but usually only after the seals are gone. As the Arctic ice cover gets thinner and clears from shore sooner, the bears are heading inland sooner...

[elynne.livejournal.com]

I remember hearing the story of the woman who lost her arms when I was in the Youth Conservation Corps, at 16. "Shotguns for scientists"... heh. :) I will send my very best polar-bear-repellent vibes with you, and hope that you won't have to use all that training.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Me too! (fervently) Both for the sake of the humans in camp and any bears...

[geekchick]

http://www.wcnet.org/~mkessen/eskimo.gif ;)