Spring Fling poster. (photo contributed)
By Ben Haylett, broadcast and Ben Courson, broadcast
Authorities are looking for a man in Alaska who was reportedly harassing a mother bear and her cubs in a river. What makes this interesting? The man was wearing a realistic bear costume.
As the onlookers watched, the man began to get close and splashed water in the bear’s direction. When he was finally pushed away from them, he entered his car, with the costume still on, and drove off.
Carson Jones, an eighth grader at Saegertown High School, said, “I think that was a dare for a frat boy.” Sam Michaels, a junior, said, “He was being an idiot.”
None of the eyewitnesses did anything to deter the man from getting closer to the bears. “It depends on where he was at the time, if he was next to the cubs, then I wouldn’t have done anything. If he was running away then I probably would,” said Michaels.
This incident raises questions about security regarding how close people should be able to get to such large and dangerous animals. Mr. Horne, a ninth grade history teacher, said, “There should be less security, that way people that want to interact with bears can do it once, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about them again.”