Put down that broom, large bear!
That was my grammar snark. My real commentary is: It sounds like a bad way to go, but Munson seemed to know what she was doing. It almost seems as though it's appropriate to say something I generally disapprove of: She died doing what she loved.
Some people just get carried away with animal love. Go to the link to read about her (now-deceased) husband, "Ridgway Jack," who made their home an "animal sanctuary" and let a fawn sleep in their bed. And read about her former tenant Tammy York, who said that Munson put wire fencing around the porch after York and her 2 children — a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old — moved in:
The bears would come within 6 feet of the porch and peer in the windows.Okay. Munson was completely eccentric and foolish, but let's think about York, who had 2 little children and took a year to figure out that she needed to move away. Well, face it: a lot of people are out of their minds when it comes to thinking about animals.
"We were in the zoo," she recalled, saying she moved out after about a year because the animals — especially the skunks — "got to be too much." While she lived there, a bear busted York's car window and left bite marks in her seat trying to get some leftover french fries.
***
Munson was eaten in Ouray on Friday. Meade and I were in Ouray Tuesday through Thursday. It's a beautiful place. Here are 2 more photographs:
Posts
110 comments:
Sit-stay with rabbit, this evening.
rh, your dobermans (saw older pix too) seem to have such big chests. Is it the way they sit?
Good dog.
Some reactions:
1. Yea, some people just get carried away from animal love… to the point of just about losing contact with reality. Wild animals like bears can be very dangerous—why do people like Ms. Munson not get that? And when you attract such animals, not only are you potentially endangering your own life, you're endangering the lives of others.
2. York probably didn’t take a year to figure out that she needed to move away. That probably happened within a week or two—maybe less. But I’m thinking she probably signed a year-long lease and couldn’t afford to get out from under it.
It's not complicated. If you give food to a bear, the bear cannot distinguish between you and the food. It considers both edible.
Even a quirky old, bear loving woman does not, in her last moments relish being slashed and ripped to death by a bear,, no matter their past relationship.
And feeding a bear cub? Utterly stupid. Bear sows are provoked by the slightest threat to their cubs.
So you two have pretty solid alibis? You had no spontaneous crime sprees written in those wedding vows? And the cops let you leave town huh?
What was Andrew Sullivan doing in Ouray?
Geez. There is really nothing humorous about this.
Awful.
Wow! And I thought that big mosquitoes were a problem. Colorado's kind indigenous wild life is not yet fully conquered. They must just let the big bears eat in Ouray.
Can the Bear travel? I know a few people who deserve to be eaten. I assume he works cheap.
Yeah, misread something. Sad.
So these bears were perfectly capable of finding their own food until they realized they had a good thing with Mrs.Munsen feeding them, simply because they were there.
And then they turned on her.
Lessons to be learned...
It must be going around...
Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A polar bear attacked a woman at Berlin Zoo Friday afternoon after she climbed a fence and jumped into its habitat during feeding time, police said Saturday.
One adult polar bit her several times after she plunged into the moat, police said.
Three photo gallery. Video.
To me it looks like the bear is trying to help pull her rather large, stupid ass out of the moat.
Mountain towns where you walk on a slope and always feel gravity's pull;
After a while you long to walk easy in a valley town flat and dull.
Darcy- Sorry there seems to be a few of us who don't agree.
I know, AJ. I don't mean to spoil the fun. I really should avoid these. The post about the lady who was attacked by the monkey bothered me, too.
Sorry. I know people laugh at these things and aren't trying to trivialize the loss of life. It's human.
'Night, all.
How is the bear?
Spent a week in Yellowstone earlier this spring.
They pass out flyers. it can be distilled into:
-----------------
Bears are Big
Bears are wild
Bears are fast*
To feed a bear is ultimately to kill it
Don't f_ck with the bears
----------------
* Rangers have clocked them runing down asphalt roads at 35 MPH.
They have good endurance. They hunt wild horses
Man can do 10 MPH.
The presumption is that cross country, they have advantages humans don't.
Don't f_ck with the bears
I hope Obama's Kenyan heritage doesn't awaken when he sees this story. His death panel advisors may try to glamorize the option of sending out the 70 something widows out into National Parks to help feed the bears.
A biker is riding by the zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning into the lions' cage.
Suddenly, a lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to eat her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.
The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage, and hits the lion squarely on the nose with a powerful punch.
Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back . . . letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.
A New York Times reporter has watched the whole event.
The reporter addressing the biker says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I ever saw a man do."
The biker replies, "Why, it was nothing, really . . . the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right."
The reporter says, "Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist from the New York Times, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page. So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?''
The biker replies, "I'm a U. S. Marine . . . and a Republican."
The journalist leaves.
The following morning, the biker buys The New York Times to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:
U. S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH
Seriously - now that she has conditioned the bear to not fear humans, and in fact, allowed one to consume her, the bear will be hunted down and killed.
So, she loved wildlife, and loved bears, and now she has caused great harm to one or more of them.
Don't fuck with the bears, indeed.
This is like the story of the guy who wanted to provide free medical care for everyone, but in doing so, caused the whole medical system to be killed. Don't fuck with the health care system, Obama.
G Joubert?
Where do you live in Alsace?
NKVD,
I saw a great sign today. It went something like:
"If you think Health Care is expensive now?
Just wait till it's Free"
Good joke Sgt!
Its a subject for black humor because of the absurd stupidity.
Whats so hard to understand? Bears eat everything they can - even people. It's not personal. Bears even kill and eat other bears. And introducing cubs into the equation - tres stupid.
Feeding house pets and wild animals
our food is not only irresponsible but detrimental to their well being.
As to wild animals, most people do not know the destructiveness of their actions. This women is dead because she lived in the world of Disney anthropomorphism. Dog food to bears is irresponsible. She created a monster and paid the price. I'm sorry for her relatives to bear the grief that she cast upon them.
"Sit-stay with rabbit, this evening."
Rh, not sure if I am more impressed with your training skills or with your beautiful pups ability to forgo her natural instincts, because of that training.
This is the perfect excuse for Werner Herzog to do a sequel to Grizzly Man.
All I could hear was "Harry! Harry! Get back in the car!"
Well today, there is Lorraine and Alsace, but no Alsace-Lorraine. It only existed as a political entity for 11 days in 1918, so unless you are 91 or so, I doubt you were born in the Independent Republic of Alsace-Lorraine
On a different note, your pseudonym BTW is a strange construct for an Alsacian. Most I know have Francophile first names and Germanic last names, like;
Henri Zimmerman
My favorite small town there is Ottrott. and the "L'Ami Fritz"
Several years ago, my boss started feeding a pregnant feral cat. Six of her pregnancies later (and her daughter's and granddaughter's), he's feeding at least 35, going through 2 big bags a week. Last week, he finally trapped most of them and took them to the shelter. One of the mothers got friendly during her third pregnancy and had the kittens in the office. Here we go again.
Put down that broom, large bear!
She was trying to sweep the tiolet paper off the baby bear's ass.
I swear I didn't see this before I made that snarky comment about Sully, everyone's favorite "conservative" bear:
View from Ouray
Yogi Bear - Papa Yogi
Darcy said..."I know, AJ. I don't mean to spoil the fun. I really should avoid these. The post about the lady who was attacked by the monkey bothered me, too. Sorry. I know people laugh at these things and aren't trying to trivialize the loss of life. It's human. 'Night, all."
I don't see that people are laughing at the death. It's more about holding people responsible for their own dangerous and stupid behavior. That's why this post isn't about how sad and tragic and terrible it is. I stand by my editorial stance on these animal issues. It's not about laughing at pain. In fact, as the linked article makes clear, many bears will die as a result of the woman's attempt at being good to them. She died too, of course, but she was a human being with a brain, and she should have used it. Many people tried to get her to stop what she was doing and she did not. She is not a sympathetic character, though it is sad on some level whenever a person dies.
Some people just get carried from animal love.
carried away with
That was my grammar snark.
It always bites you in the butt.
Humans, yum.
- the bear
@ michilines You're right about "from." I noticed that too after I posted. Now I've changed it. I laughed at your snark though. Thanks.
The insanity tag is apt.
A person who attempts to have relationships with wild animals has lost common sense and may even be mentally ill. This woman who was likely killed by a bear had been ordered numerous times by the Division of Wildlife to cease and desist feeding the bears. I feel sympathy for the bears who will now be destroyed because of the irresponsibility of humans. The innocent human-fed bears' surviving families will also now suffer needlessly.
Want to have a relationship with animals? I suggest following the example of RH and Vicki.
Bullshit Althouse. Don't backpedal now. You are just as mean and un-empathetic as the rest of us. So you will never get appointed to the Supreme Court. Heh.
She meant well might be an appropriate epitaph but it doesn't begin to describe the damage she has done and will do after her death to the wildlife she claimed to have loved so much while alive.
Aside to Ralph L: Too bad your boss didn't have the foresight to solve the problem after the first pregnancy by trapping the cat and having it spayed. Why not drop a hint or two? It's cheaper than all that cat food.
So, Julie, how much are you paid to post those commercial messages?
Hunger for the finer things in life can sometimes get you in trouble. Had this bear eschewed cat food, yogurt and hard boiled eggs for the berries and bark, she might not have been looking down the barrel of a gun until hunting season.
Wonder what type of disclosure will have to accompany the sale of that house.
Penny: As they aren't sure they've shot the right bear yet, some of the bear's friends and family are going to pay the ultimate price as well. One already has.
Randy, we need to look on the bright side. This Colorado bear clan, well they might have been pigs, served up as tasty Texas bbq.
The photos kind of remind me of where I live...Bisbee, Az
http://tinyurl.com/ne67pz
Feeding bears is like a big doughnut offering you a cupcake.
Ach, that's too bad. Just because someone does something stupid to kill themselves doesn't mean it's a good thing.
Wild animals can be perfectly safe...until they're not. It's like driving around without a seat belt. Sure, nothing happens most of the time. I've never needed one my whole life. But...I still wear one.
@penny not sure if I am more impressed with your training skills .
It used to be commonplace before humaniacs took over the field.
To see how it's done check out Vicki Hearne Adam's Task, the essays on Washoe and How To Say Fetch.
The underlying The Koehler Method of Dog Training is out of print; it was legally banned in Arizona when it came out in the early 60s. Now it's banned everywhere by political correctness.
Tens of thousands of dogs were as well trained in California at Koehler's sessions.
His vision was dog as citizen.
Humaniacs find that offensive.
Althouse: "Put down that broom, large bear!"
Large Bear: "I'll give you my broom when you take it from my cold, dead paws!"
G Joubert
59
A large bear sweeps clean.
I wrote: It's not complicated. If you give food to a bear, the bear cannot distinguish between you and the food.
Sometime later, Julie wrote: It's not complicated. If you give food to a bear, the bear cannot distinguish between you and the food.
@Julie - At least be creative enough to form your own thoughts before posting a commercial link.
Julie and Christena may be bots. they both link to the same Indian "offshore" marketing site
Christena said...
Well story and great information and good pics,,,,,,
A couple of things, "Christena", this is a story about bears, not a well.
An elipsis is, traditionally, three periods, not six commas.
ESL has gotten you part of the way, now go back and learn some more.
And, as always, thanks for posting. Give our best to Fengfk2008, too.
"1. Yea, some people just get carried away from animal love… to the point of just about losing contact with reality."
It always shocks people when you tell them that House Wrens - yes, cute little House Wrens - have a well studied habit of taking over nest boxes and carrying off the young of other species (and sometimes even of other House Wrens) and dropping them while in flight, as part of the process of taking over a nest box. Nature is beautiful but also very stark in the realities of life, death and survival.
AJ Lynch : Bullshit Althouse. Don't backpedal now. You are just as mean and un-empathetic as the rest of us.
We are empathetic, with the bear.
Wild animals are wild animals; people shouldn't try forcing their idealized sentiments on them. That woman had no respect for what she was dealing with.
Kind of reminds me of Liberals, with their vision of how weak and helpless everyone is. Then, when people show resentment, some backbone, they end up like Nancy Pelosi, ranting about "mobs" and such.
I understand the name and photo, but I dont get the Alsace-Lorraine part.
Max was from Alsace? Or Joubert was?
well the regional dialect is basicly French with a German accent.
Until railroads pierced the intervening terrain (mountains and forests) in the mid 1800's, Alsace was oriented on the Rhine and things German.
What can you call a region of France were the most famous dish is a big platter of kraut and boiled potatoes, with links of sausage, and other pork cuts on top, other than germanic
After Alsace became part of France again in 1918, the families started speaking French and named their kids using Francophile first names. Jean Schmidt and Henri Zimmerman for example.
so yes, an Alsacian is recognizable by his accent throughout Europe.
Our conceit is thinking that we're at the top of the food chain. Any large carnivore, or even the humble bacterium, for that matter, would tell us differently.
Oh, I get that the impact on the bear(s) is tragic too. I just don't agree that an old woman being mauled to death by bears (no matter how misguided she was) was not a "sympathetic character". I felt sorry for "Grizzly Man", too.
*shrugs*
Bears have to eat too.
Trouble is they will probably shoot the bears she "human conditioned," so she killed those bears just as if she shot them herself.
I do love that scene in Jerrimah Johnson, when the old trapper gets the grizzly to follow him into the cabin so he can butcher him inside.
This old lady was probably batty, but in general I have little sympathy for people who claim to "love" nature and spend a great deal of time there, but acquire exactly zero understanding of how nature actually works. It's really disrespectful of nature, and nature often avenges the insult.
I love this site. Not only do the commenters engage the trolls in debate, they try to engage the 'bots as well. Is no one safe?
Uh-oh, gotta run...
Quit engaging the 'bots! I mean it!
S' Jack, I think it falls under the heading of 'willful ignorance'. The cost of willful ignorance is quite high to both those practicing it and anyone else who is affected. When the chickens come home to roost, it's always an unintended consequence and the perpetrator becomes the victim in the eyes of those rooted in this practice...."His/Her intentions were so good".
We now have a willfully ignorant administration elected by a willfully ignorant majority of the electorate aided and abetted by a willfully ignorant media. Everyone will be affected. Would hate to see the final bill.
Clyde said "Our conceit is thinking that we're at the top of the food chain. Any large carnivore, or even the humble bacterium, for that matter, would tell us differently."
Explain that to my sister's bear skin rug.
Unarmed and naked, the human is at a great disadvantage against a large carnivore. With tools, the human is the most prodigious predator in the world.
The jury's still out on bacteria. Win some, lose some.
Julie is a robot. I've had to waste time deleting numerous posts of hers today. It's a new way to do spam, picking up a line from somewhere on the page to try to look at least superficially real. Don't respond to her. I know you'll probably be amusing, but after I delete her, your joke will be ruined. And I'll have to struggle with my qualms about ruining your jokes.
darwin award recipient?
http://www.darwinawards.com/
Althouse; "It almost seems as though it's appropriate to say something I generally disapprove of: She died doing what she loved"
Why the disapproval? Does that phrase over-trivialize the death in your mind? (In my profession, it could be said that the secret fantasy of every musician is to die on the bandstand, at a ripe old age, after a particularly good solo.)
Why not drop a hint or two?
I tried, but there's a reason Germans got a reputation for being pig-headed.
We went from zero to four office cats (all fixed) in about 3 years, and then he started feeding the feral ones. He says he's going to give away the kittens and get the mother fixed. I didn't know feral cats could be domesticated, but the new mom is very affectionate.
"I felt sorry for "Grizzly Man", too."
Why is "feeling sorry" for various people and animals what's important here? Is your self-image too wrapped up in wanting to be an empathetic sort of a person? I am trying to challenge readers to get out of the comfort zone and be rational about this story.
I wonder whether Munson was influenced by Charlie Vandergaw up in Alaska? Vandergaw was filmed feeding grizzlies and black bears; I saw it on TV myself.
Of course Vandergaw was way out in the Alaskan bush country and had no nearby neighbors or boarders with little kids who might be imperilled, so there's that in his favor.
Is your self-image too wrapped up in wanting to be an empathetic sort of a person?
You, a law professor, know darn well that Oprah has outlawed being judgmental.
This may come as a surprise, Althouse, but some people just feel empathy. It's not so much about their self-image; a lot of people don't really customize their empathy to meet arbitrary acceptability criteria.
And why would you think that your readers would find it uncomfortable to be "rational" about this story? Cold logic is easy. Feeling genuine compassion for someone you've never met in a place you've never been in a situation you'll never experience? There's some potential discomfort right there.
I don't see that people are laughing at the death. It's more about holding people responsible for their own dangerous and stupid behavior.
I suspect that's why it will become even popular to mock and stigmatize people who take or have taken other "lifestyle" risks-obesity, unprotected anal sex, etc. Losing empathy for such people and mocking them dehumanizes them and aids the mindset needed to implement a final solution for runaway healthcare costs.
That's not to say that people aren't responsible for their own risks-they are. It's the mocking and dehumanizing aspect that gets me.
I once worked with woman who loved to circulate links to the Darwin Awards. IRL, she was an embittered woman with a tragic person history who had overcome much in life.
Maybe there's a clue there or something.
Let this be a warning to you California tree huggers who're considering moving to Colorado. Not only do we have bears, we have plague infested ground rodents! And conservatives - Colorado Springs is full of them!
Stay away and don't californicate Colorado!
Larry J--
That didn't work for California when we tried it with New Yorkers, and it ain't gonna work for Colorado.
North Carolina was invaded by Connecticut and New Jersey.
And Mexico.
I said: "Why is "feeling sorry" for various people and animals what's important here? Is your self-image too wrapped up in wanting to be an empathetic sort of a person?"
blake said "This may come as a surprise, Althouse, but some people just feel empathy. It's not so much about their self-image; a lot of people don't really customize their empathy to meet arbitrary acceptability criteria."
Yes, of course, people feel empathy. It's no surprise at all. What I'm suggesting is that this feeling is not what needs to be presented as the most *important* thing in this discussion. I was responding to Darcy who seemed to be putting down those of us who wanted to talk about things other than empathy with the dead woman as if there was something deficient about those who fail to put empathy (with the woman, as opposed to the bears) first. I was just defending those of us who didn't "customize" our thinking to that view.
"And why would you think that your readers would find it uncomfortable to be "rational" about this story? Cold logic is easy. Feeling genuine compassion for someone you've never met in a place you've never been in a situation you'll never experience? There's some potential discomfort right there."
I've never met the bears either, but I feel for them as they were manipulated into a closeness with humans that led to their death. And it is also easy to always take the side of the human being, especially the female who is all about love. This woman was told repeatedly that what she was doing was wrong, and she wouldn't listen, preferring to do her own thing in a way that hurt other people and animals.
And btw, I dislike the Darwin Awards.
I didn't see Darcy as putting anyone down; just as expressing an inability to partake in the humor herself--to set aside her empathy. I didn't see any direct or even implicit criticism of others, just "I should avoid these".
"And it is also easy to always take the side of the human being, especially the female who is all about love."
Actually, I'd say the contrary is true. Not only that, I'd guess that the woman involved was probably exactly the sort of person who takes the side of animals first.
Is that irony? Treadwell wasn't exactly a lover of mankind either. The bears were his friends.
@Professor, the Darwin awards fill a useful gap in modern education.
Ohio Clouds.
Beautiful, rh. Lawn is looking good too.
"This may come as a surprise, Althouse, but some people just feel empathy."
Some of us feel more concern for the innocent people whose lives were endangered by that crazy, criminally irresponsible woman.
"Cold logic is easy."
Would that logic were easy. Sadly, the world teaches us that it is all too rare. And why do you think that logic is cold? A not-so-subtle attempt to denigrate fact and elevate unreason?
"Feeling genuine compassion for someone you've never met..."
News stories about the plight of strangers are very popular, so it seems silly to claim that the readers of this blog have difficulty feeling compassion.
"I didn't see Darcy as putting anyone down; just as expressing an inability to partake in the humor herself--to set aside her empathy."
Characterizing it as humor was the putdown.
Darcy doesn't do gallows humor.
I assumed she was referring to the comments above hers.
"Munson was eaten in Ouray on Friday."
Funny to me because it's so odd and matter-of-fact.
@Ralph You should have seen it before I re-edited. I was going to go with: "Munson was munched on in Ouray on Friday."
lol
Can't imagine where Darcy got the idea that something was meant humorously.
The first bear was shot by a deputy; a necropsy found it had not been eating Munson, and was presumably curious or hungry the food she dispensed. The second (a very substantial bear, by our standards, at 400 lbs) was shot by a DOW agent who was still on-scene as part of the investigation; part of her and her shirt were found in the animal. Her autopsy revealed the bear had in fact killed her. So that's 2 animals that died because of her compassion. Three, if you want to count her.
"It's a tough world. Tougher, if you're stupid."
@Professor, you should have stayed with your original idea. ROFLMAO
Well, I can see living to 98 and then going out and trying my best to get struck by lightning.
My aunt, who was over 80 and had Parkinson's with dementia, died horribly in a fire when my uncle, who was in his 90s and trying to care for her alone (she wouldn't have help), overslept and she tried to make her own morning tea; her peignoir caught fire and then the piece of furniture she collapsed on went up in blazes.
How horrible, right? But her father, my grandfather, spent seven years in a nursing home with the same thing, gradually losing his entire mind; and she had said, "I'd rather die in a plane crash than go like Daddy." So wasn't that a better death for her? Pain must have quickly turned to shock and then, who knows, maybe even to joy?
That asshole in the Werner Fassbinder movie, Grizzly Man -- he screamed while they ate him.
Not Fassbinder, Herzog.
What a horrific death, to catch on fire... and in such a mundane circumstance, making tea.
As for the loss of the mind and whether it's better or worse than a plane crash, I think from the perspective of the dying person, it is much better. You fade out gradually. It looks awful to onlookers, but how does it feel from the inside. I think it might be quite serene.
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