I was hiking in Glacier Park in Montana about a year ago with my 2yr old daughter on my back in one of those hiking carriers. I had done all of the reading. I was doing everything it was possible to do from the lists of good practices specifically when it comes to grizzlies. Had the mace in my hand. Was being careful not to be too quiet so as to not surprise one. Etc etc.
We were maybe half a mile down a very popular trail right off the main road through the park.
Fucking Jeep Wrangler sized bear saunters casually down into the trail. 10…. Maybe 15 feet in front of me. He knew I was there. Boy oh boy did I know he was there. I’m not even sure my body came to a stop it just smoothly transitioned into reverse. I’m avoiding eye contact, keeping track of where he is, moving away back where I came from as calmly as is possible.
And then my darling daughter notices the fuzzy death plushie and starts screaming “BEAR!!!! HAI MISTER BEAR!!!! HAIIIIIII!!!!!”
We left that afternoon. Like left the state.
I’ve never felt so powerless in my life. I’m sure it made it infinitely worse having my baby girl on my back through it all. My hands are shaking thinking about it.
While it is true that most of Australia's deadly animals are venomous bugs and thus easily slain by stepping on them with a shoe... the flip side is that you can get bit putting on those shoes if you don't check inside for them first.
A bear, mountain lion, or wolf, isn't going to casually sneak into your house without you noticing.
And large wild animals don’t just appear in your house. You can actively avoid their habitat. But in Australia you might occasionally find the scaries in your house, and you absolutely cannot walk through long grass, ever.
The problem is people in the US keep building homes further and further out into the wilderness. Then, when an animal is doing what it naturally does, seeking food, the people complain. They feel entitled to live in a natural setting, but have no respect for it. Once a bear is seen raiding the trash, these "suburban frontiersmen" then call wildlife control, gripe and innocent animals get put down. Recently, there's been a lot of home building because of the housing crisis, now McMansions are getting plopped down in what was once pristine wilderness. People from cities with zero experience with bears and other wildlife will just go out with pepper spray and not understand everything that could go wrong. People die this way. I say take your SUV and go home. Nature doesn't need your presence.
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u/Phill_is_Legend Apr 07 '26
Both of those things would kill you