Bears

in my life in the great   outdoors I often encounter wildlife. Anytime I see some of our amazing "neighbors" I always feel lucky to see gods creatures in their natural environment, this includes those large ferocious teeth bearing, claw tearing, monsters called bears.

I have always seemed fascinated by them, I'm not sure why, because they are king of the forest, held in high regard in first nation lore or maybe all those scary bear stories or perhaps just the good ones like Winnie the Pooh, I just don't recall when my fascination started.

My friends and family often ask "aren't you afraid of getting attacked?" I am always puzzled by that question, should I respond "are you afraid of getting hit by a car or attacked by a weirdo, you probably have a better chance?" Some folks don't even hike in case they run into a bear! Now I'm not advocating bears are not dangerous, in fact some acquaintances pack guns while hiking. My perspective is as with any wild animal, treat them with respect and learn about them.

There are many great books about bears (check out the library) that investigate root causes of bear attacks with statistics on grizzlies, blacks, sows with cubs and predatory bears.

In the end I believe animals can feel your "energy". If you are giving off the energy of prey, hmmm, probably not so good, maybe time to read some books to feel a little more comfortable about the wild animals in our backyard.