284 is a 2 1/2 year old subadult. She was turned loose from mom this spring and is trying to figure out her way in the new world. She has attitude and determination mixed with a little adventurism and curosity. She keeps bear managers on thier toes.
Starting my morning off I was trying to get across the river early to get a little office work done before I had to spend the day managing the bears. 284 decided that I need to enjoy her company. I had just reached the lower platform when she appeared from out of the woods. I walked up the platform to watch and stay my 50 yards away from her. For a half an hour I watched as she meandered back and forth under the platform. She didn't look like she was trying to fish as her eyes never looked in to the river. She wasn't sniffing a trail or searching for food as her nose was high in the air not low to the ground. I think she was just trying to see what I would do. I just enjoyed the view and took a few pictures.
Down the river a few fishermen had tossed out thier lines. 284's ears perked up and she stopped pacing. The next thing I knew she was headed to the area of the fishermen. She ran towards the group of men who I had to yell at to get them to move out of her way. But 284 wasn't interested in the area the men were fishing she wanted to see if they had a fish on the line. A couple of days before she had scared a fishermen who had a fish at the end of the line and she learned very fast that an easy meal was to be had by chasing the fishermen. One of the park rules is that if you have a fish on your line and a bear moves within 50 yards of your line you must break your line so that the bears don't associate line and easy meals. Of course I have told you not everyone arrives at Katmai with their brains attached. Anyways, 284 not only chased the fishermen out of the river but she chased them up and into the woods. Once she realized there was no fish she came out of the woods and headed upriver. A few minutes later came the fishermen, who did a few double takes upriver in case she came back.
Not more than an hour later 284 was back. This time she was chasing another subadult down the beach at full speed. They ran down the beach, up a trail at the edge of camp and back to the corner where a ranger was stationed. I was trying to keep up with the bears and radio warnings to the ranger at the corner. Three photographers were walking to the corner, side by side with their backs towards the running bears. I screamed at the top of my lungs to warn the photographers, who at the last minute decided to turn around. They must have a quite the shock to see two bears running full speed at them only inches behind them. The bears ran around them and continued to the corner.
I barely had a chance to see if everyone was all right when two bears came running back at me. Then I noticed that 284 was behind the two running bears. Somehow the little lady got another bear to play tag with her. She chased both bears right thru camp. I radioed for help as there was no way I could keep up with them. The two front bears split off going in different directions with the other bear manager following one and another ranger following the second. I was one the trail of 284.
284 made a quick stop. In the visitor center were 20 people getting thier bear orientation and she decided that she should stop and check out the action. So when I caught up with her she was standing on her hind legs looking in the window of the visitor center staring at the group of people. I yelled at her and she got down and looked at me. She was near a trail that led to the beach and I hollered at her hoping she would go down to the beach and behave herself.
Not 284 she had other plans. She went in the opposite direction heading up to the cabins near the overlook. At least she was heading in a way that I could get her out of camp. So I just followed behind her yelling "Bear in camp get back to your cabins." Then I noticed an old couple heading to the lodge and 284 making her way towards them. I again was screaming out warnings and finally the old couple, moving very fast for people thier age backed up and moved to the nearest cabin. 284 stopped and looked at me. She had the expression on her face like a kid who just had their favorite toy taken away.
Finally, I got 284 to go down the hill and out of camp. Hoping to get a break I walked to check on the old couple and congratulate them on the quick manuevering. Then I began my patrol. I walked around some buildings and who do I see, 284. She had sneaked back into camp. I tried to haze back into the woods but she just looked at me and flopped down on the ground. I know she had to be thinking I am just going to rest now and you're just going to have to wait until I am ready to move. I called for help.
With my partner, the two of us got her to get up and move not in the direction we wanted but we more or less got her out of camp again. She had taken a trail that leads to the beach. Once she was on the beach she decided it was nap time. She laid down and went to sleep. To protect her, which I believe she doesn't need, from the visitors we put up baracades so people could not go down to that area of the beach. Every so often I would check on her. She is adorable when she is sleeping. She was all curled up and her head on her paws. It was cute. She stayed there for a few hours. By my lunch break she again was down by the river keeping the bridge tied up with her antics. Though she eventually got a fish on her own and left to find a quiet spot to feast she left a lot of frustrated rangers, including me behind.
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