Alaskan Silver Miner Mauled To Death By Bear
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago
Admiralty Island, Alaska — A female bear and her two cubs mauled and killed a young man working at a remote mine site on a southeast Alaska island with one of the highest bear densities in the state, authorities said Monday.
Anthony David Montoya, 18, a contract worker from Oklahoma, died at a remote drill site accessible only by helicopter, according to Hecla Greens Creek Mine and authorities. Mine officials said workers receive training on how to deal with bears because of the large number in the area.
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The silver mine is on Admiralty Island, which is about 18 miles southwest of Juneau and where an estimated 1,500 brown bears roam, said Stephen Bethune, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Tours to the island that’s largely uninhabited by people tout bear-viewing possibilities.
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Workers are taught, for example, ways to prevent bear encounters, including proper disposal of food. Bear spray is available to carry between buildings and trained personnel use bean bags to scare away bears from established areas.
The mine also has videos on bear behavior. In remote locations, bear spray is among the tools employees generally bring with them in the case of bear encounters, Satre said.
Bear spray. I don’t think I would work in a place with that kind of bear density and not be allowed to carry a firearm for self defense.
In other news where people are not made in God’s image and animal life is more important than human life, a judge unilaterally decided to protect the bear sleuth.
“We stand behind our scientific finding that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear is biologically recovered and no longer requires protection under the Endangered Species Act,” the FWS said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen overturned the Service’s decision to delist the bears Sept. 24. He based the ruling, in part, on the FWS failure to consider the impact delisting the bears in the Yellowstone region would have on other, still not recovered, bear populations around the United States, according to the court order.
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“There are only a couple grizzly bear populations that are viable in the United States,” said Wendy Keefover, the native carnivore protection manager at the Humane Society of the United States, one of the organizations that sued to stop the delisting. “In 50 years, we’ve not had one individual make it between them. There are just these tiny islands of grizzly bear populations left. They need far more protection, not less.”
I’m wondering if The Alaskan wants to invite them in for dinner? Or maybe he wants to be dinner for these poor critters? After all, they need protection and sustenance.
On October 3, 2018 at 11:56 pm, Ned said:
So the “training” failed.
On October 4, 2018 at 12:40 am, TheAlaskan said:
OK..I’ll take the bait. As I’ve said before, I hate bears. Period. They are not compatible to anything I do. In fact, bears and people are about as compatible as a fish on the dunes of the Sahara. Native Alaskans get this. Bears and villages don’t mix, and when bears do…they die, all of them. Period. You never get news from native towns with bear problems. That’s because they don’t have bear problems, in bear country.
Bears are not endangered. Even Grizzlies. They are flourishing. Although I don’t want them around me, I do celebrate their existence. And I will always want bears in my world, but I will not call a bear what it isn’t. I stand always, always ready to kill bear. Period. And bear, knows this in my world.
So many, cannot find true north. I do not listen to them. Bears are in my reality and reality always wins…always.
As far as the invite….I’ll only invite bears AS dinner.
On October 4, 2018 at 8:01 am, Longbow said:
NO! Big toothy critters in the woods, acting like big toothy critters? Say it ain’t so! Don’t they know we’re “civilized”?
On October 4, 2018 at 11:47 am, June J said:
In the stupid liberals IQ and common sense guidebook, the animal huggers are near the bottom. Just below liberal judges.
On October 4, 2018 at 2:29 pm, I R A Darth Aggie said:
Maybe we can convince them to go hug the bears?
Ok, fine. That’s cruel to the bears. I doubt the animal huggers are all that tasty.
On October 4, 2018 at 2:53 pm, Furminator said:
In other news, another hunting guide has demonstrated his abilty to learn from others’ mistakes by shooting a charging grizzly rather than let it eat him, his clients, or the game.
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/grizzly-bear-shot-by-hunting-guide-in-northern-wyoming/article_468cb75b-0788-5bc9-bece-6eb2bfa59ef7.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest
On October 4, 2018 at 3:15 pm, TheAlaskan said:
Just reported on the radio that the 18 year old silver miner was fed upon by the three brown bears. They didn’t know the circumstances of the attack as there were no witnesses.
Now they know.
On October 4, 2018 at 6:46 pm, Gryphon said:
Captain, You imply that this Miner was Prohibited by His Employer from carrying Firearms? If that is True, He’s a Darwin Award Winner just for being that Dumb to accept a Job in a Dangerous Environment while Unarmed.
FWIW, I have turned down several offers of ’employment’ as a Helicopter Mechanic, just on the Basis that the company wouldn’t let me have the Proper Tool in the Box. “We have ‘security’, ” they said, and I told them to Pound Sand…
On October 4, 2018 at 8:35 pm, BRVTVS said:
There’s a new video up about 45acp for predator protection: https://youtu.be/7gtTEEm1-1A
On October 5, 2018 at 1:15 am, BRVTVS said:
And here’s a new advice video about bear defense. https://youtu.be/6l_34fVG-O8
On October 5, 2018 at 10:03 pm, JoeFour said:
Thanks BRVTVS for those youtube links! The second one is most interesting and directly applicable to bears and the recent tragic death of Wyoming guide, Mark Uptain, by a bear attack. Here’s an excerpt from the narrative that appears immediately under the video (the author is a long-time resident of Wyoming):
“Before the grizzly was put on the endangered species list it had a healthy fear of humans and conflicts between bears and people were almost nonexistent. Since they were listed in 1975 the grizzly has learned that humans are not a threat and have lost their fear which causes them to be even more dangerous and unpredictable. If you are a hunter who draws a tag in grizzly country, are you ready and able to respond and act appropriately during a close encounter with a bear? If it charges can you defend yourself?”
With regard to bear defense, the author recommends that hunters and hikers in bear country carry a heavy caliber, double-action handgun at all times in a holster that makes the gun readily and easily available. Bear spray is a “card trick” and essentially useless particularly at high altitudes. He comments that the bear that killed Mark Uptain reportedly had bear spray in its fur…and notes in the first comment under the video that neither Mr. Uptain or his client were carrying firearms (it was a bow hunt). Finally, the author also opines that the bear population has been badly mismanaged so that presently there are too many bears … they need to be hunted and taken off the endangered species list.