And finally… bearing the consequences

And finally... bearing the consequences

Three drunken tourists who trespassed into a bear enclosure in Alaska have been jailed.

The men were sentenced last week for the incident in 2018 which saw them wade into the Brooks River at the Katmai National Park and interrupt the salmon-loving bears’ dinner.

Mark Sturm, the superintendent of Katmai, said: “These individuals behaved carelessly and put themselves at great risk. Brown bears are fierce, territorial predators, especially when concentrated to feed on migrating salmon.”

David Engelman, 56, Ronald J Engelman, 54, and Steven Thomas, 30 were fined $9,000 and jailed for between seven and 10 days.



S Lane Tucker, the state attorney, said: “The conduct of these three individuals not only endangered other visitors and wildlife officers at Brooks Falls, they also potentially endangered the life of the bears.”

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