I was reading an article, this week, about how, in Zimbabwe, climate change is driving animals closer to areas of agriculture and husbandry, that they had avoided previously. As a result, the local people are finding themselves under threat by their wild animals neighbors. Schoolchildren who, in rural areas, often have to walk to and from school on road ands paths through unpopulated areas, at dawn and dusk when animals are most active, often find themselves coming in conflict with animals. The schools there are bringing in wildlife experts to train the children how to tell what kind of animals are in the area, how to avoid them and what to do if they find themselves in close proximity to them. They also teach how wildlife brings economic benefits to the local people. The children are then taking this knowledge home and educating their parents, as children in the U.S. once brought home information about fire safety.

Contrast that with the pictures you see of people in the U.S. walking up to Buffalo, to take selfies. When did we (humans) become so disconnected from nature that we have become stupid about it?

This book is a collection of stories from various magazines about people coming into conflict with bears. The stories run from bears encountered by Lewis and Clark, bears appreciated by the Cree, and bears wandering around colonial New Brunswick, Canada to bears in India, Greenland, Kashmir. We read about bears being chased by hunters across the U.S., and bears chasing joggers on trails. Bears try to break into cabins to eat trappers; and bears live in captivity, in zoos, circuses, and as “pets.” We learn how to travel safely in bear country.

And we get anecdotes, like the story of the young couple in Jasper National Park, who found the perfect place for a picnic. They parked alongside the main road and made their way through the woods to a beautiful, sun-kissed meadow. After a little wine, things got hot, and they shed their clothes, Something made one of them pause in the middle of what they were doing and look up – straight into the face of a huge Grizzly. The couple leapt up and fled the meadow, through the woods, too quickly to even grab their clothes. They reached the safety of their car – but where were the keys? Back in their pants pockets and here comes the bear. Desperate they climbed onto the roof of their car, the bear circling their car curiously (obviously he wasn’t hunting them because a bear in pursuit will outrun a human any time), as cars of families on their way into the park drove by…

If you like great stories, bears, or being terrified by bears, this is a book for you.