Does a kodiak bear have a good temper?

Answer 1

Actually Kodiak bears are very tolerant of human beings and try to ignore them as much as possible. They are much less violent than other coastal brown bears and mainland grizzly bears. They will not stalk humans like a black bear might. In fact over the last 100 years or so there have only been two recorded cases of bear fatalities on Kodiak island. Kodiak bears do not eat human beings like other coastal brown bears in the mainland. This being said Kodiak bears do not like humans and you can't pet them. Most Kodiak bears will turn around if they see humans and run away. If you corner a bear, particularly a sow with cubs you better watch out because she will fight you if she feels threatened. She will also fight to the death if a male tries to harm her young. Many Kodiak bears located near the city of Kodiak are well adjusted to being around humans and normally are on their best behavior. There are times where a Kodiak bear will try to share your fishing spot with you and might even help himself to your catch. They are more interested in the fish than you. Unfortunately many local bears die at the hands of an inexperience woodsman who runs into a bear and starts shooting. This is usually unnecessary. There is a well documented story in the recent past here of an intoxicated man stumbling into a sow and her cubs in the woods where he was wandering. He got too close to the sow and she basically tackled him and held him down while her cubs scampered away. She then let the guy go without biting him. What does that tell you about a Kodiak bear. Kodiak bears live only on the island of Kodiak no matter what Alec Baldwin says in the movie The Edge. In fact the bear staring in that movie was Bart the Bear, who was a famous Kodiak brown bear"actor" in the 80's and 90's who died of cancer. Kodiak bears are larger than their mainland counterparts because of their nearly unlimited access to food. Kodiak bears like all brown bears are classified as brown bears even though they are technically grizzly bears due to their proximity to the coast line. All bears that live within 25 miles of a coast are deemed brown bears. No black bears live on Kodiak island. Up to a quarter of the male bears will not hibernate if it is warm enough and there is a food source nearby. So does a Kodiak bear have a good temper? Not necessarily. They have just learned to coexist with their human counterparts. Probably better than we have.