FACTORES ESENCIALES

Beep . . . beep . . . beep . . . beep. Th e quickening beeps of the radio signal tell John Hechtel two things. He’s getting close to a bear den, and the bear inside is waking up. Bears lower their body temperature less than other hibernators, so they’re easily awakened. John and his

coworkers crunch loudly as they snowshoe across the crusty snow. Bowed-down branches of willow shrubs weave a carpet of shadows over the snow, making it tough to spot the small breathing hole that usually marks a bear’s den. Th e scientists look carefully and move slowly. It’s not a good idea to step on a bear that’s just woken up.¹

John is a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. His study area is the Tanana Valley, a boggy lowland in central Alaska. It’s prime black bear habitat, but most of the ground is too wet for dens. Unfortunately, the only dry areas that seem good for dens also happen to be used by the U.S. Army for winter training. So to protect both bears and soldiers, the army hired John to fi nd out where most bears in the area hibernate.

John spent last summer fi tting bears with radio collars like the one that is now leading him to a den. Th e collar has a transmitter that sends out a beep John can track to its source.

It also has an activity sensor that speeds up the beeps when the bear moves.

John has captured bears in traps made from 55-gallon drums. He’s also darted some from the air. Darting a bear from the open door of a helicopter—held in by just a seat belt or climbing harness—sounds challenging. But John says,

“No, it’s not—if I have a good pilot. If I’m worried about the helicopter rotors getting too close to the treetops, then it is tough to focus. But if I trust the pilot, it’s fairly simple. Th e more diffi cult part is following the bear aft erward. It takes from three to eight minutes for the drug to take full eff ect. We have to keep close enough to watch the bear without making it panic. If the bear falls into water, then I have to get down right away and make sure its head stays up, so it doesn’t drown.”²

John and his coworkers calmly close in on this sleeping bear. Th e beeping signal is now strong and fast. John spots

² At fi rst I thought the most dangerous part of John’s job had to be on the ground, where he might run into a bear. I would never have guessed that he’d be working from the air, too. He must be really brave.

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a small hole in the snow that he fi gures may mark the den entrance. Before moving in, he pulls a sleeping bag out of his pack. Holding it in one hand, he advances.

Th e blinding glare of spring sunlight glinting off the snow makes it tough to make out where the bear is in the hole. John crouches down, shades his eyes with his hands and puts his face close to peer inside. With a startled look, he pulls back and whips the sleeping bag over the hole. Th e black bear inside is not only awake, its head is right at the entrance. John hopes the sleeping bag will keep the den dark and the bear calm a bit longer. He carefully readies a drug-fi lled hypodermic needle mounted on a short stick. It will take good aim and a quick jab to poke the needle into the bear’s shoulder muscle.

Fortunately John has had practice, so this bear is drugged safely. He and his coworkers then measure the bear and the den. Th ey return the bear to its sleeping hole aft er a half hour.

Occasionally, they don’t return the bear. Instead, they take it to an artifi cial den at the University of Alaska, where other scientists can study its hibernation more easily.

John has tracked down quite a few bear dens—about 100, he thinks. In most cases, the bear is not so alert and not so near the den entrance. Usually, John must squeeze his broad-shouldered, six-foot-tall frame inside the den, and then, without room to maneuver, jab the tranquilizing needle into the waking bear.

Most people probably wouldn’t want this job. But John feels that the chance to climb into the private world of a black bear is a great privilege. Aft er studying North American bears for

20 years, John sees bears diff erently than most people do. “Bears are not vicious animals to be feared,” he says. “I see a lot of the same traits in bears that I see in dogs, and even people—

including curiosity and playfulness. Sure, bears sometimes attack, but in nearly all cases there are specifi c circumstances that explain the bear’s behavior. How would you feel if you were sleeping and woke up to see a stranger standing in the room? It’s understandable if a surprised bear gets a bit upset.”

John’s main worry in his work is not his own safety but that of the bears. “I enjoy the opportunity to study and handle bears,” he says. “But I also hate to hassle them. It’s important to me to be sure the work we are doing is worth what we are putting the bears through . . . But I have learned that we can’t just leave bears alone and expect everything to be OK. We have to know more about bears and bear behavior to protect them and their habitats.”³

³ I’m not surprised that John sees bears diff er-ently than most people do. His experiences with bears help him under-stand them better. This helps me summarize how he feels about his work. He has learned a lot about bears and wants to protect them.

Genre Study Narrative Nonfi ction:

Narrative nonfi ction writers take care to explain things as the story unfolds. In the case of this selection, the author explains how the collar works and why scientists like John fi t them to bears.

41 Close Encounters of the Bear Kind

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“This was mostly about . . .”

Think and Respond

1. In what ways is John like the bears he studies? Possible responses: He knows their habitat; he spends a lot of time outdoors; he is tall and broad-shouldered; he understands them better than most people do. Analytical

2. The selection goes into a lot of detail about the collar. Why do you think the author does this? Possible responses: Perhaps the author does not want readers to confuse it with another kind of collar; readers will understand how it helps biologists track the bears. Genre

3. What do you think the author’s viewpoint of this kind of research is? Do you detect any bias? Explain. Possible response: The information presents the risks and dangers, the safety precautions for the bears, and the benefi ts of study. The author might be biased in favor of the scientifi c research because she says that the work ultimately benefi ts the bears. Author’s Purpose

After Reading

Take Notes: Ask students to discuss John Hechtel’s encounters with bears and his attitude towards his work.

Use Copying Master number 7 to prompt students to summarize John Hechtel’s work about what it means to him.

Cultural Perspective

Some Native Americans considered the bear a powerful spirit. Shamans, or medicine men, put on bear skins and claws as part of a ritual to ask the bear spirit to help the tribe.

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