By N. John Gazey
Two Malibu residents were killed by bears at the Katami National Park in Alaska this week. The man and woman were experienced bear watchers and had been flying out to the remote area for the past dozen years. The bears were still in the vicinity when the rangers arrived to investigate and had to be shot when they approached the troopers aggressively. The news report stated that no guns were found at the scene of the tragedy and then went on to mention that firearms are banned in the park. Now it occurred to me that had the couple bent the rules and secreted two.357 Magnums into the area and worn them as sidearms they might well have been alive today. Bears have been known to be scared off by loud noises.
While I am against hunting and the senseless killing of wildlife, it strikes me as being foolish not to allow folks to take sensible precautions for their own safety. The reasoning behind the ban on weapons in national parks is that they are inclined to make one over confident and inclined to take risks. That may well be true, however, in the past hikers, campers and wildlife observers have sometimes been attacked, even when they were obeying all the rules and staying in designated safe areas. It has happened. As a famous scout once said, “Be prepared.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 10, 2003. Read the original PDF.