[pct-l] Real Bear Trouble in '04 -- Attacks and Raids

[jeffmoorehead1 at cox.net (Jeff Moorehead)]

Marion,
 Do llamas ever get defensive toward a bear? I've heard that one advantage 
of packing with llamas is that they are vigilant and protective. Or will 
they always run from a bear?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Davison" <mardav@charter.net>
To: "Karen Borski" <kborski@yahoo.com>; "PCT List" 
<pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Real Bear Trouble in '04 -- Attacks and Raids


> Karen Borski wrote:
>
>>I have actually been holding my breath waiting for
>>this topic to pop back up again.  If you don't already
>>know, it is a much-discussed topic in the history of
>>the PCT-L.
>>
>>Why have I been waiting for it?
>>
>>Because this last year,on my thru-hike, I actually had
>>REAL experiences with bears ON THE PCT.  They ARE more
>>troublesome now as compared to only a few years ago --
>>rangers I spoke to say there has been a big increase
>>in problem bear activity in the national parks of the
>>High Sierra.  My experiences do not seem to be
>>isolated.
>>
>>
> My experience concurs with yours.  From 1996 to 2002, we saw a total of 5 
> bears in the backcountry, in some 800 nights.  But in 2003, in 40 trail 
> nights in Yosemite and Sequoia Kings, we had 8 bears visit our camp.  We 
> had llamas and bear cans but we still had bears visit.  While we were in 
> Se-Ki, a predator killed a llama and a bear consumed it.  (Not one of our 
> llamas!) After that summer I got a wristrocket slingshot and I won't enter 
> the Sierras without it.
> I have the blessing of the Yosemite backcountry wildlife ranger to use it 
> to defend the lives of my llamas. Last summer we hiked outside NP's 
> (Mammoth and Sonora Pass areas) and had no bear encounters, but used the 
> slingshot to scare off some aggressive horses that visited camp at 3 a.m. 
> A horse can easily kill a llama.
> llamalady
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