Watching bears is becoming more and more popular nowadays. But on the other hand many people have died during filming of brown bears and this number is much greater than the number of people dying during the filming of other dangerous predators.
12 professional photographers have died along with their companions during the period of 1993-2005. This is more than the total number of people died during filming of tigers, leopards, lions and sharks combined.
Thousands of people come to Katmaj peninsula, Alaska or in Denali Park in order to look at and to take a photo of such a great beast as a brown bear. But the watching territory in all of these locations is limited and the rules of people behavior are very strict as well.
For instance, according to the American instruction of the Fish & Wildlife Fowl Department every man conducting a bear research in Alaska has to have two units of weaponry: a long-barreled with a caliber no less than 0.30 millimeters and a short-barreled with a caliber no less than 9 millimeters. A group of researchers landing in Alaska`s ridge reminds an armored to the teeth military group more than just peaceful researchers.
Mikhail Krechmar is a Russian zoologist, hunter, documentary director, journalist, candidate of biological sciences and he just like his Alaskan colleagues began escorting hunters and photographers in North-Eastern Siberia. It was there when he realized all the struggle of such filming. And he knows from his own experience that it`s extremely hard to predict the beast`s behavior when it notices you just in 15 meters away from itself. This is the reason for Mikhail made up a short reminder which was translated into English and given to all the clients under the receipt.
Client`s Behavior Reminder:
- You must blindly follow your guide`s instructions who is responsible for your safety. In case if you break this rule the expedition contract is canceled in the camp under the responsibility of the senior guide and the client is taken out from the brown bear`s habitat during the same day. Tour payment is not paid back (obviously, the same point is listed in the tourist service contract.)
- Brown bear is A PREDATOR who due to its great weight IS FORCED to use plant food. When there is an excess of meat food a bear switches to it.
- Brown bear is able to break a duralumin boat board, to rip an 8 millimeters iron wire and it can bite through the barrel of a smooth-bore gun.
- Brown bear is reaching the speed of 50 kilometers per hour while charging and it reaches this speed at the very start. It covers the distance of more than ten meters per second!
- If a bear really decided to eat you – it will eat you.
- The smallest bear is able dispatch the biggest man.
So, to all the travelers interested in expeditions into the wild and willing to never experience point 5 the main advice is to always remember that the taiga is not a zoo, and bears are cute, but very dangerous beasts.