The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-03-22
PL EA IS MADE
 FOR ADMIRAL "
 BRUIN RESERVE
Fastener Declares Alaska Brownies Are Not
 Dangerous
tcontinued rom Page one)


 I shall not go into detail on my experiences wIgh Ala kan brown and grizzly bears, which, while there I studied in an intimate and open minded way. When I first went to the grizzly and brown bear country, Alaska, I had the usual sports mans concept of the nature of the bears, viz, that he was innately ferocious and dangerous when en- countered
 Had Sean Dozen Grizzlies
 Over a period of Is yeras of hunt ing in the Rocky Mountains, from Colorado to the most northern parts, I. had possibly seen a dozen grizzlies, mostly at long range. It was the usual experience of the hunter. and was not sufficient for me to pass any judgment generally oil their character and disposition. l went to Alaska, therefore, with the idea that is prevalent not only in Alaska, but in the States as well Three years of intimate contact with these grizzly and brown bears, principally on Admiralty, Chichagof and Baranof Island, but also the Kenai Peninsula and interior of Alaska, have dispelled that general idea. During this time, l saw pos sibly 250, and was in sufficiently close contact with 150 at least, to have studied them at close range, varying from 10 feet to 150 feet.
 In all cases the bears showed practically no ferocious attributes. In only two cases was there any thing that might be called a charge and in both cases when the bear came within Is feet, he was stop ped not by a bullet, but by my companion, Allen Hasselborg point ing a gun at him and yelling at the top of his voice, with the result that the bear suddenly stopped growing and went on his way as Ii nothing happened. Of course, we were not shooting, and if we had been, there might have been diff ferent story, but Chat would have been my funeral. Tn ebear has as much right to object to being killed as human being. and anyone who takes it upon himself to kill bear or shoot at close range has to take the consequences.
 Deaths And Injuries
 I know there have been a mum Der of deaths from the bears in Alaska, and a. considerable number of people injured. There is no qaes- ton that such eases are regrettable, but before the bear is condemned one should try to know whether the instance was the fault of the bear, or of the injured man. I be- ileve that in most cases charges by bears are grossly exaggerated A man who has been attacked, nat ura1ly is going to blame the bear rather than himself for any care Iessness or foolhardiness on his part. The very fact that the num- bsrs of comparatively minor injuries from bears are score or more times the number of instances Of deaths, shows that the bear is not a death-dealing animal. It is cer- tain he would have had the power to kill in each instance if he had the desire, or if it were his nature. AS a rule, they are content when attacked or wounded at close quar- ters to take a few bites, very much like. dog and go on, possibly dying a few hundred feet off.
 MT. Hasselborg of Juneau was bitten by bear number of years ago, and Dr. Simpson said it was his twenty second case of bear injury, and in every case the bear had a fear of man, and wished te get away as soon as possible. Oi course. most Alaskans remember the Thayer case. .,4
 Cited and Published
 It has been cited and published as typical instance of an unpro- voked and savage attack by a bear As matter of fact. am informed from very reliable sources that i was not an unprovoked attack It appears that when MT. Thaye, came on the bear it stood up. Th' bear very often does this becaus his eyesight is poor and he want to see better. MT. Thayer was prob ably, frightened. He thought h was going to be attacked, and di' what a great many others woulls do under the circurnstances-h started to shoot. Up to the fnomen he fired the bear had no intention probably of attacking him. Bu the bear became infuriated b being wounded and attacked il sel-defense like a human would or any other self respecting animal The only way the bear knew hos to defend himself was to go afte the person who was shooting a him and trying to kill him.
 In the recent hearing befor the Senate Committee on Wi, Life Resources, before which
 appeared, it was not disputed b representatives of the Forestry Ser vice that this may have been tn