Althouse: "The bear ran so close to her 10-year son, Alvarez, that he 'even felt its fur,' she said, 'but it was going after somebody else.'"

November 22, 2025

"The bear ran so close to her 10-year son, Alvarez, that he 'even felt its fur,' she said, 'but it was going after somebody else.'"

From "Grizzly bear attack in British Columbia seriously injures 3 schoolchildren/Teachers used bear spray and a bear banger to drive the animal away, according to Canadian authorities. A parent said one teacher bore 'the whole brunt of it'" (WaPo).

41 comments:

rehajm said...: I don’t like grizz…; 11/22/25, 9:16 AM
Saint Croix said...: That man's a hero. Fought a bear to save all those lives. Wow.; 11/22/25, 9:18 AM
Big Mike said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/22/25, 9:20 AM
Original Mike said...: We used to carry a road flare in grizzly country. It was before bear spray came out. Thankfully, never had an occasion to use it. Doubted it would have worked, but it was something to try.; 11/22/25, 9:20 AM
Saint Croix said...: Stupid that the story portrays him as a victim. He "bore the brunt of it" because he was the man who stood between the bear and everybody else. Heroic man, not helpless victim. And they don't identify him? He's a frickin' hero. WaPo is clueless.; 11/22/25, 9:21 AM
Big Mike said...: Predators preferentially attack the young of their prey species. I don’t hunt but I know some hunters and they say guns are better than bear spray. They say to shoot a charging bear in the shoulder to stop its charge, then finish it off. Of course out here we only see black bears and not grizzlies.; 11/22/25, 9:23 AM
bagoh20 said...: It could have been worse. They could have encountered a man they didn't know.; 11/22/25, 9:29 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Grizzley's and humans don't mix. That's why it used to be open season on them all year round.; 11/22/25, 9:36 AM
The Vault Dweller said...: "They say to shoot a charging bear in the shoulder to stop its charge, then finish it off."

I have heard that due to the thickness and slope of a bear's skull aiming for the head is not guaranteed to stop a charging bear.; 11/22/25, 9:37 AM
bagoh20 said...: If you take your time, aim, and shoot out the canine teeth, it can be just like cuddling a teddy bear or a drunken Roosevelt.
Ask me how I know.; 11/22/25, 9:46 AM
rehajm said...: Yah there’s no high percentage of stopping a grizzly with a gun and the strategies to deal with them change like hemlines. Used to be some big ham hock strapped to your hip, then it aas only a long gun, then 10mm, now the latest is a revolver like the judge that can chamber custom shotgun loads and .45 or some such. My brother in law who spends way more time in grizz territory than me has a judge with first a shell to spray shot to the face, then skull penetrating rounds, then more shotgun and finally something that looks like a musket ball. We’d all rather not discover if what we carry is effective…; 11/22/25, 9:50 AM
gspencer said...: Remember, always go hiking with a buddy who runs slower than you,

https://inspirewithquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Always-hike-with-someone-in-worse-shape-than-you.jpghttps://inspirewithquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Always-hike-with-someone-in-worse-shape-than-you.jpg; 11/22/25, 9:53 AM
gilbar said...: ..Teachers used bear spray..
since this was Canada, i'm sure that the teachers will be facing prison charges for baring offensive weapons; 11/22/25, 9:55 AM
gspencer said...: Alternatively you could simply yell, "Timmy Treadwell was a friend of mine." The bear will know what that means.; 11/22/25, 9:56 AM
Aggie said...: What a disappointing story, a failure in reporting. It's archived here: https://archive.ph/3Wr5H

A grizzly attacks a group of 20 11,12 year old students?? With teachers adding to the size of the group ? Leaving 11 injured, 4 seriously? I've never heard of a bear attacking a human crowd so large, it's almost unmistakable that it considered them to be a herd of attractive livestock.

And yet no real details of the actual attack and its victims, or their actions. "“Multiple teachers physically intervened,” , WTF. It's just a story meant to provoke feelings and emotional responses, not provide insight or understanding.; 11/22/25, 9:58 AM
gilbar said...: bagoh20 won the internet, when he said...
It could have been worse. They could have encountered a man; 11/22/25, 9:58 AM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: bagoh20 said...

If you take your time, aim, and shoot out the canine teeth, it can be just like cuddling a teddy bear or a drunken Roosevelt.
Ask me how I know.

You used to be a professional bear banger?; 11/22/25, 10:02 AM
n.n said...: Self-sacrifice, not selfie. Wow.; 11/22/25, 10:27 AM
bagoh20 said...: I'm not proud of my early years.; 11/22/25, 10:28 AM
Bob Boyd said...: RPG.; 11/22/25, 10:46 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Fellow I knew said .370 H&H Magnum or greater for starters.; 11/22/25, 10:51 AM
Mary Beth said...: And they don't identify him? He's a frickin' hero. WaPo is clueless.

The WaPo is worried about offending their readers who are sure that choosing the bear is better than choosing the man.; 11/22/25, 11:03 AM
Quaestor said...: All predatory vertebrates that have been studied regarding this question exhibit similar behavior -- the target is selected before the attack. The chosen target often isn't the closest, nor the smallest individual in the group, nor the most obviously debilitated. Behavioral evolution hit upon a sound tactic in preferential targeting, which was born out in fighter tactical doctrine dating back to 1915. German ace Oswald Boelcke strongly advised not switching targets in mid-attack, even if a more weaker and more tempting adversary should present himself close by. Press home your attack against your first opponent or retreat

This target preference explains much about group behaviors and protective coloration in prey species as well, whether we're talking about schooling fish, flocking birds, or herding mammals. Consider for example, zebra stripes. To the casual observer, their stripes make them stand out against the browns and greens of the East African velt. To the lion pride stalked them, the stripes disrupt the outline of individuals, making the focus of the attack vanish into the crowd. Schooling fish maneuvering as a unit confuses the shark, just as flocking birds confuse the falcon. Shark attacks on humans also show strong target preference. On many occasions, rescuers have found it almost impossible to distract an attacking shark from its victim, even where there are other people in the water nearby and the victim is being hauled into a boat.; 11/22/25, 11:08 AM
Quaestor said...: "Fellow I knew said .370 H&H Magnum or greater for starters."

Guides who working in grizzly country are divided on this question. Many of them disfavor extreme revolver calibers. Bears are so fast that rapid and accurate follow-up shots are lifesaving. Between recoil and muzzle flash, most people using extreme ammo like .370 mag and .455 Cassul will completely lose the sight picture after the first shot. Consequently more advise a lighter, more easily handled load, Two or three hits with 10mm are usually better than one hit with Cassul.; 11/22/25, 11:24 AM
Saint Croix said...: Toxic masculinity saves children.; 11/22/25, 11:25 AM
Quaestor said...: Wapo's editors are 100% psychopaths, Mary Beth.; 11/22/25, 11:26 AM
Saint Croix said...: The group that was attacked Thursday came from Acwsalcta School, an independent pre-K-12 school operated by the Nuxalk Nation, a First Nations group based in the Bella Coola Valley

at the bottom of the story...

Nuxalk Nation Chief Samuel Schooner on Friday praised the “heroic actions” of the teachers.

(air quotes around heroic actions!)

“Knowing that they were tasked with making the ultimate decision of life and death,” he told reporters, “they chose to lay their lives on the line for the students.”

And the WaPo fails to hear the Indian man talking about bravery and sacrifice of a man, a warrior, going up against a bear. They write down his words, but do they hear what he is saying?

Shame, WaPo, shameful reporting, you missed the heroism in what happened. You are too invested in seeing the world as an evil, bad place. Awful journalism.; 11/22/25, 11:34 AM
Tom T. said...: "Teachers used bear spray"

See, there's the problem. They should have used anti-bear spray.; 11/22/25, 11:35 AM
Saint Croix said...: Thanks, Mary Beth!

That "man or bear" meme is entirely due to toxic feminism that is rampant in our media culture. They stories of evil men are all over the place, over and over, we're awash in stories of bad men. That's what the feminists know, that's what they talk about. If they can't find bad men, they make them up. "Believe all women" because it's impossible to lie about the bad things men do. Men are bad and women are good. Our media is awash in that nonsense. And when you have a heroic man? They don't see him. Air quotes.; 11/22/25, 11:48 AM
bagoh20 said...: You are on a new reality show called "Spend A Night".
You must choose among four rooms and their occupants at a secluded motel.
Room 1: Bill Clinton
Room 2: Jeffrey Epstein
Room 3: Donald Trump
Room 4: A bear; 11/22/25, 11:59 AM
Rocco said...: BUMBLE BEE said...
“I knew said .370 H&H Magnum or greater for starters.”

Bob Boyd said...
“RPG.”

Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.; 11/22/25, 11:59 AM
Saint Croix said...: Bear Attacks Man is not really "news" at all. It's the grizzly equivalent of Dog Bites Man.

Man Attacks Bear is a phenomenal story. That's the kind of story that sells newspapers, WaPo. If you're looking for readers, WaPo. Apparently you aren't!; 11/22/25, 12:00 PM
tommyesq said...: "Fellow I knew said .370 H&H Magnum or greater for starters."

Guides who working in grizzly country are divided on this question. Many of them disfavor extreme revolver calibers. Bears are so fast that rapid and accurate follow-up shots are lifesaving. Between recoil and muzzle flash, most people using extreme ammo like .370 mag and .455 Cassul will completely lose the sight picture after the first shot. Consequently more advise a lighter, more easily handled load, Two or three hits with 10mm are usually better than one hit with Cassul.

You'd better have a ton of range time practicing drawing, chambering a round (if not a revolver-type), turning off the safety, acquiring a sight picture, and pulling the trigger without jerking the gun off-target if you think you will hit a charging bear once, much less three times, with a pistol. Very few would be able to pull this off.; 11/22/25, 12:11 PM
bagoh20 said...: The best bear defense as suggested by the GOP is to complain on FOX News, and maybe post a letter, then wait to see if the bear dies or goes away. If that doesn't happen, become his friend.; 11/22/25, 12:34 PM
Hey Skipper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/22/25, 12:44 PM
Hey Skipper said...: When we lived in Alaska I carried a Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum whenever on foot out of the neighborhood. Lots of stopping power, but only 6 rounds and very painful to shoot.

Now that we are outside of Boise — no grizzlies, but black bears, wolves, and mountain lions — it seems a 10mm would be the better choice.; 11/22/25, 12:47 PM
Quaestor said...: "Very few would be able to pull this off."

Agreed, Very few would be able to pull that off...

without adequate range time.; 11/22/25, 1:41 PM
narciso said...: Theres always the bear tax; 11/22/25, 1:54 PM
Iman said...: The Assassination of Yogi Bear by the Cowardly BooBoo…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6w0r-ScEG4; 11/22/25, 2:20 PM
rehajm said...: Agreed, Very few would be able to pull that off...

without adequate range time

…I don’t think there’s enough range time for me to learn to compensate for the poo coming out…; 11/22/25, 3:11 PM
bagoh20 said...: Is that what they mean by "dry fire practice"?; 11/22/25, 3:17 PM