Thanks, Pat! I didn't know they could be so determined. I have never seena bear in real time ever before, so I wouldn't know. Thats when you go railfaning with a magnum-caliber handgun on your person, for bear defense--just in case...
When I lived in SE Alaska a few years ago, I worked at the state airport in Petersburg. Spent one afternoon watching a sow and two cubs trying to cross the runway. The state maintenance employee was just as determined to keep the bears out. I was amazed to see that sow stick her nose under the chain link and lift to allow her cubs under. Those bears aren't dumb at all!!! Fortunately, they don't like firecrackers being shot at them... Pat
About a year ago, I remember reading about a BNSF employee who risked life and limb to free a bear cub that was stuck to a rail. It was below freezing outside but a nearby creek was still open and flowing. The cub had come up out the creek all wet and was trying to climb over the rail when its fur froze to the cold steel. I believe the guy was driving a high railer and stopped to clear the obstruction in the track. I forget how he got the cub unstuck but he made it back to his truck in the nick of time before the sow came ambling up. She left with the cub following behind.
Here is an article for all the animal huggers out there that have bad feelings about Railroads killing animals… When a person gets hit by a train, we automatically mark it as survival of the fittest, or smartest. We figure, to bad they shouldn’t have been there anyways. But when an animal is involved call 911! There was a story here in Seattle last summer of a river otter that was found unconscious with severe head injuries on railroad tracks. As the article states, “A Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway track inspector found the motionless otter in the middle of the tracks around 8:30 a.m. and called 911”. Animal control arrived in less than 30 minutes. FYI – 86 people in Washington State last year were hit and killed by trains. All of the 86 incidents were deemed avoidable. Most of the 86 cases involved trespass. One person that was killed was a Rail Fan. Otter http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002018390_otter28m.html Rail fan killed http://www.koin.com/news.asp?RECORD_KEY%5Bnews%5D=ID&ID%5Bnews%5D=231
