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Do (Not) Feed the Bears: The Fitful History of Wildlife and Tourists in Yellowstone
It was a familiar sight at Yellowstone National traffic backed up for miles as visitors fed bears from their cars. It may have been against the rules, but park officials were willing to turn a blind eye if it kept the public happy. But bear feeding eventually became too widespread and dangerous to everyone—including the bears—for the National Park Service (NPS) to allow it any longer.
As one of the park's most beloved and enduring symbols, the Yellowstone bears have long been a flashpoint for controversy. Alice Wondrak Biel traces the evolution of their complex relationship with humans—from the creation of the first staged wildlife viewing areas to the present—and situates that relationship within the broader context of American cultural history. Early on, park bears were largely thought of as performers or surrogate pets and were routinely fed handouts from cars, as well as hotel garbage dumped at park-sanctioned "lunch counters for bears." But as these activities led to ever-greater numbers of tourist injuries, and of bears killed as a result, and as ideas about conservation and the NPS mission changed, the agency refashioned the bear's image from cute circus performer to dangerous wild animal and, eventually, to keystone inhabitant of a fragile ecosystem.
Drawing on the history of recorded interactions with bears and providing telling photographs depicting the evolving bear-human relationship, Biel traces the reaction of park visitors to the NPS's efforts—from warnings by Yogi Bear (which few tourists took seriously) to the increasing promotion of key ecological issues and concerns. Ultimately, as the rules were enforced and tourist behavior dramatically shifted, the bears returned to a more natural state of existence.
Biel's entertaining and informative account tracks this gradual "renaturalization" while also providing a cautionary tale about the need for careful negotiation at the complex nexus of tourists, bears, and all things wild.
As one of the park's most beloved and enduring symbols, the Yellowstone bears have long been a flashpoint for controversy. Alice Wondrak Biel traces the evolution of their complex relationship with humans—from the creation of the first staged wildlife viewing areas to the present—and situates that relationship within the broader context of American cultural history. Early on, park bears were largely thought of as performers or surrogate pets and were routinely fed handouts from cars, as well as hotel garbage dumped at park-sanctioned "lunch counters for bears." But as these activities led to ever-greater numbers of tourist injuries, and of bears killed as a result, and as ideas about conservation and the NPS mission changed, the agency refashioned the bear's image from cute circus performer to dangerous wild animal and, eventually, to keystone inhabitant of a fragile ecosystem.
Drawing on the history of recorded interactions with bears and providing telling photographs depicting the evolving bear-human relationship, Biel traces the reaction of park visitors to the NPS's efforts—from warnings by Yogi Bear (which few tourists took seriously) to the increasing promotion of key ecological issues and concerns. Ultimately, as the rules were enforced and tourist behavior dramatically shifted, the bears returned to a more natural state of existence.
Biel's entertaining and informative account tracks this gradual "renaturalization" while also providing a cautionary tale about the need for careful negotiation at the complex nexus of tourists, bears, and all things wild.
198 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2009
This is the happier version (or possibly the antidote to?) of Death in the Park. This book tells the tale of evolving NPS strategies and policies regarding visitor-wildlife interaction at Yellowstone National Park. If I may editorialize, this is an easy preparative read that families could read and discuss prior to visiting any area where they are likely to interact with wild animals. With the best of intentions, picnickers regularly share food with ground squirrels and other cute, gregarious animals without ever considering the goiters or other things to which these dietary additions contribute--ultimately, and surprisingly quickly, contributing to the death of the animal. That said, the book is about animals more than it is about Yellowstone, and I recommend it as a readily-accessible introduction into how to be a better sharer of our planet.
Having recently returned from Yellowstone and personally witnessed countless instances of potentially-fatal visitor stupidity, I can attest to the fact that many park visitors seem to check their brains at the entry gate. Admittedly, we've come a long way since the 1950s and 1960s when visitors were permitted to feed wildlife (esp. those adorable bear cubs) from the self-deluded safety of the family station wagon. As a consequence, animals were habituated to human presence and came into campsites, dumpsites, etc. for a handout. With time, this quickly led to the "removal" (a euphemism for destruction by shooting) of many bears annually. As stated eloquently by Mike Leach, executive director of an up-and-coming consensus-seeking, non-profit known as Yellowstone Country Guardians, "A fed animal is a dead animal." Check this book out, it just might possibly save lives. Ours and the animals'.
Having recently returned from Yellowstone and personally witnessed countless instances of potentially-fatal visitor stupidity, I can attest to the fact that many park visitors seem to check their brains at the entry gate. Admittedly, we've come a long way since the 1950s and 1960s when visitors were permitted to feed wildlife (esp. those adorable bear cubs) from the self-deluded safety of the family station wagon. As a consequence, animals were habituated to human presence and came into campsites, dumpsites, etc. for a handout. With time, this quickly led to the "removal" (a euphemism for destruction by shooting) of many bears annually. As stated eloquently by Mike Leach, executive director of an up-and-coming consensus-seeking, non-profit known as Yellowstone Country Guardians, "A fed animal is a dead animal." Check this book out, it just might possibly save lives. Ours and the animals'.
October 25, 2017
I read this for my History of National Parks class and I absolutely loved it! Biel mentions Disney's further portrayal of bears as entertainment through their 1963 film "Yellowstone Cubs" where views observe tourists feeding bears, petting them, and one woman even giving one a quick kiss. After reading this book, I highly suggest looking at some of the other sources that Biel mentions, like the Disney film (there are clips online and you can rent it on Amazon for a low price) as well as Horace Albright's book "Oh, Ranger!". Viewing these pieces in the context of Biel's thesis helps one understand why they were written and how they impacted American's views of bears in Yellowstone National Parks.
February 22, 2011
Well-written, fast-paced, and witty. A history of Yellowstone I was actually interested in and finished! Go Alice!
February 19, 2008
My friend Alice!!
June 30, 2021
Honestly this one was a bit dry for me. It was heavy with research-language. Lots of names, titles, and dates. I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been swimming through some of the repeated information. That being said, I feel like I learned a lot and wanted to tell people about what I read in this book!
Loved this quote:
“In this natural scene, man is but a visitor who is privileged to share glimpses into the intimacies of nature—if he only has the time and patience.”
Loved this quote:
“In this natural scene, man is but a visitor who is privileged to share glimpses into the intimacies of nature—if he only has the time and patience.”
December 2, 2020
This book is wonderful and full of good information and details. I DNFed this only because I underestimated my desire to know more at this point in time. I watched a documentary previously, and for right now, I feel as informed as I would like to be. But I do intend to pick this back up!
September 1, 2014
All animals have about the same kind of relationship with their environment - they categorize all other creatures as one of predator/prey/"friend"/neither, and behave accordingly. It would seem that humans had a similar relationship at least until the early 1900s when the only thing we did to other animals is kill them, domesticate them, keep them as pets or be indifferent. The change from this state to one where we appreciate the beauty of animals i.e. without killing/domesticating/pet-ing, but by studying, photographing or just plainly watching them is a *huge* change. This book shows how this change came about, at least in America. Whether it first happened in America and spread elsewhere, or if other places had a parallel development, I don't know. But it was interesting to learn how it happened at least in one place.
The book does this by following the development of Yellowstone National Park and detailing the history of people and their relationship with bears. At times it got a little difficult with all those names of people I had never heard of before, but overall it is an excellent book.
The book does this by following the development of Yellowstone National Park and detailing the history of people and their relationship with bears. At times it got a little difficult with all those names of people I had never heard of before, but overall it is an excellent book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews