One person was stunned by the irresponsible actions of tourists in Stowe, Vermont, who put themselves and animals in danger by terrorizing a group of bears.
In a Reddit post, they detailed how around "40 or so" people crowded three bears while trying to get photos, forcing the creatures into a tree for safety.
"Y'all were 6 feet away from three terrified bears in a tiny tree with your kids screaming and running around," they said. "It's wildlife, not an hourly tourist attraction. Have some damn respect."
Bear encounters in Vermont are nothing new. The population in the sixth-smallest state is on the rise, growing to somewhere between 6,800 and 8,000 in 2024, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, as VTDigger shared.
This is despite legal bear hunting seasons and vehicle accidents, the two most prevalent causes of black bear deaths in the state.
Human encounters are inevitable, with land development increasingly depriving animals of green spaces and destroying habitats.
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Meanwhile, rising global temperatures also exacerbate food scarcity and environmental degradation, driving animals into residential areas in search of sustenance.
When bears interact with human populations, their comfort with people increases, and their natural fear instincts diminish. They also become more reliant on human food. It's an amplifying cycle, increasing the risk of conflict.
Conditioned bears break into garbage bins, cars, bird feeders, gardens, and even homes. And unfortunately, when bears attack people, they are typically hunted down and euthanized. It's a lose-lose scenario for humans and bears alike.
People chasing bears up trees or leaping out of a vehicle for a quick selfie are only making an already perilous situation exponentially worse.
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Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 Healthy coexistence is doable, but tourists acting like foolhardy TikTok or Instagram superstars by frightening a mother bear and her cubs is not helping.
Public awareness, responsible behavior, adaptive wildlife management policies, and bear habitat preservation can all help to keep these creatures (and humans) safe.
"Terrorizing our wildlife is never OK," one commenter responded.
"[Stowe is] a magnet for out-of-state plates and an absolute nightmare," said another, indicating the tourism trade is becoming a serious issue.
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