September 16, 2002
David Bryson, President
ElectroBraid Fence
236 Water Street, Box 19
Yarmouth
Nova Scotia, Canada
B5A 4P8
Mr. Bryson:
As the former site manager at Katmai National Park in Alaska, I have
had a fair amount of experience with large bears and park visitors in
remote areas. At Brooks Camp, a remote developed area within the park
boundary, rangers spend most of their time keeping Brown Bears and park
visitors safely separated. The Brooks River is a favored feeding area
for bears during the salmon spawning run and visitors are drawn to this
high concentration of carnivores.
The campground at Brooks Camp has been a long-term problem because
bears traveling from their resting areas on the mountain would occasionally
pass through the campground on their way to feeding areas along the
rivers and lakes. Curious bears have sniffed backpacks, tents, and rarely,
sleeping campers as they traveled through the area. Although no one
has been hurt by the bears, some tents have been damaged and the potential
for a human/bear incident is high.
Bears have forced their way into buildings in this area so we knew
that a wooden fence would not be a satisfactory deterrent. We had considered
stringing barbed wire around the area but bears were generally not sufficiently
deterred by the wire either because it is not visible enough or because
it is not stout enough to keep them from forcing their way through.
We also were concerned about the possibility of the fence wire entangling
the bear and possibly causing it physical harm. We saw the ElectroBraid
fence in an advertisement and felt that it would be worth a try. Its
visibility and elasticity, combined with its ability to conduct current
were significant factors in its favor.
We erected a three-strand fence around the campground and the bears
immediately began to avoid the area. We observed that bears would initially
walk up to the fence, touch it with their noses, and avoid it from that
point forward. Eventually we added a fourth strand to serve as a deterrent
for small cubs that could pass under the fence without making contact.
From that point on, no bears entered the campground with one exception.
The single episode of a bear in the campground during the summer further
illustrates that the fence met our needs better than any other solution
so far tried. An adult bear chased a sub-adult into the campground area.
The sub-adult, under stress, pushed its way through the fence and into
the campground. The fence stretched enough to allow the animal through
without getting entangled. The adult bear apparently was not interested
in pursuing the sub-adult further because it broke of its chase and
left the area. The fence was immediately shut off by park staff and
the gate was opened so the sub-adult could exit the area. No harm was
done to the animal and no visitors were injured in the event.
I understand that the park has continued to use the ElectroBraid fence
since I have transferred and they continue to have similar success.
If you need further details, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
John Bundy
Deputy Superintendent.