Patrick, half-eaten, gave the bear a punch on its nose

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the incident involving Patrick Flinders, who was attacked by a polar bear in Svalbard and responded by punching the bear. Participants reflect on the event, express their reactions, and explore broader implications regarding bear behavior and human interactions with wildlife.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for Patrick's instinctive reaction during the attack.
  • Others share their shock and find the situation unsettling.
  • A participant suggests the need for training bears to avoid humans, questioning the effectiveness of using firearms to manage bear behavior.
  • Another participant argues that using firearms would not train bears to avoid humans but rather make them accustomed to human presence.
  • Humorous remarks are made about the situation, including a playful exchange between imagined bears discussing the fight.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of admiration for Patrick's actions and concern about bear behavior, with no consensus on the best approach to managing human-bear interactions.

Contextual Notes

There are differing opinions on the effectiveness of training bears and the implications of human intervention in wildlife behavior, with no clear resolution on these points.

arildno
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Sometimes, food resists its destiny.
Patrick Flinders, 16, was one of the youths attacked by the polar bear on Svalbard.
Instinctively, when his head was trapped within the bear's mouth, Patrick gave the bear a hefty punch on the nose.
The doctors had to remove a few bear molars from Patrick's head..

I like Patrick's attitude, in the midst of the terrible tragedy that he and the others experienced.
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16045672
 
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I can't imagine what that must've been like. Very freaky!
 
This was the first thing that came to mind when I read this:

don%27t-give-up.jpg
 
good for him. but i would like to see more training of bears to avoid people in the first place. can we get more firing of boomsticks in their general direction?
 
Sensational thread title.
 
Bear 1 "You look terrible. You get in a fight over the weekend"
Bear 2 "Yeah, But you should see the other guy"

or is that Patrick to all his buddies!
 
Proton Soup said:
good for him. but i would like to see more training of bears to avoid people in the first place. can we get more firing of boomsticks in their general direction?

That wouldn't train them to avoid people, they'd just get used to us (abd our guns) faster in the long run. The best way to keep beast afraid of man is for beast to not see man very often. We have open black bear season here when there's too many near town. Kill out the curious strain.