It's a tough summer for bears
... across the southern and mid-Yukon Territory. Spring was late and cold, so not much green stuff was available as they came out of hibernation. And summer has been cold and on the rainy side, so the developing berry crops range from being infected with mold or fungi to poor to non-existent. In many locations, the bears started the year skinny and are starting to get increasingly desperate. They have have been foraging in and around towns in record numbers, going through garbage cans and breaking into cabins; so far, 11 bears were shot and killed in Whitehorse (pop. 23000), 8 in Haines Junction (pop. 2000) and another 8 bears in other communities - blacks and grizzlies.
Why make a topic out of this? Because this is the sort of info we should have about the ecosystems we plan on doing survival stuff in, going hiking or camping. It helps to understand the attitude of animals we may encounter out there, in this case bears, who could behave somewhat differently from "normal".
Do you guys bother thinking about stuff like this when you go out? Do you pay attention to what the plants look like where you're going, and what the state they're in means for the critters all around you? And if that has any implications for what or how you do stuff out there?
