There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Continued.... One of the most prominent is Chris Servheen, grizzly bear coordinator of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, who was mentored by Chuck Jonkel while he was a graduate student at the University of Montana during the historic Border Grizzly Study. Servheen now holds sway over all grizzly bear programs on federal lands. Then there is Tom Smith, research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, who has become one of the most outspoken proponents of the use of bear spray. Tom's carefully crafted press releases sometimes cause a stir within the bear community, such as the study he released that exposed the dangers of the incorrect use of bear spray as a bear repellent. ( Smith had noticed that people in bear country had begun spraying pepper spray around or on their boats and equipment in the mistaken belief that the red pepper would repel a bear. The opposite was true, for inert red pepper is an attractant to a curious bear. ) In addition, Smith has compiled an exhaustive computer database of bear attacks, which proves that bear spray has stopped 90 percent of bear charges, while firearms have stopped onrushing bears only about half the time.