Bad Yellowstone: Park Was All-Out Petting Zoo 100 Years Ago

[baja]

Feeding the bears? Heck ya!

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/09/09/yellowstone-today-on-full-touron-alert-but-was-an-all-out-petting-zoo-in-the-roaring-20s/

 

[AZNOKAOI]

I still wouldn't! :shock:

But, to each their own!

 

[EarlCordova]

My dad took us there in 1965 and dozens of people were pulled over,
and got out of their cars to feed and/or pet several moose.
Us 3 kids thought that would be a great idea, but my dad,
who grew up in rural Montana, said no, and called all the people idiots and drove away.
We just thought he was being grumpy, as usual.

 

[jls in az]

That was what led to the grizzly being put on the ESL. You had multiple generations of bears that were used to hitting the dumps for their meals. When that source of food was denied them, they starved until newer generations learned how to be bears again and spread from the backcountry throughout the ecosystem.

 

[xerts1191]

How about, NO

 

[TriggerFish]

My dad and I drove through Yellowstone in the summer of 1957 from NY to OR. We had no A/C and our 10 y.o. dachshund in the car and all the windows down. We were stopped in the park because too many people ahead of us were OUT OF THEIR CARS FEEDING THE #$%&@& BEARS!!! Our dog went nuts and wanted out of the car so my dad reached over the seat and opened the back driver's side door. THEN the dog re-considered his choice and stayed in the car. After about 20 minutes my dad peeled out and drove around the a-holes out in the roadway. Fun times when you're 9!

 

[SupportTheSecond]

Then this happened and they decided it wasn't a great idea: