Wooly Mammoth Alive?

[Chris Hawes]

Originally Posted by fairplay

This is very fast flowing water with a very rocky bed - a bear is not going to be able to walk with it's usual swagger in such conditions...
Neil.

You have a point there Neil - what I was describing was how they walk on land, so not so relevant here.

But your post made me think of something else. The river does seem to be particularly fast-flowing, and I also think it looks fairly deep. Why would a bear be hunting fish in such fast flowing water? I've never seen this before. Fish-hunting bears in Alaska (and presumably elsewhere) stick to specific sections of shallower, slower-moving water where the fish congregate and are easier to catch - not much deeper than ankle high for a bear. It is quite a skill for the bears to learn and some really struggle to pick up the technique. Those that aren't dominant enough to control the best fishing spots may be relegated to deeper sections, but they'll pick sections of water that are virtually still and clear, so the fish are visible - and have very little success. I would have thought that catching a fish in deeper water which is also faster moving would be next to impossible for a bear.

Bears standing at the top of falls waiting for the fish to leap up into their mouths is another matter, but that isn't what's happening here.

I guess I've got a little off point, so apologies for that.

I still don't think it's a mammoth.

[Brocakat]

I've seen t.v. programmes of Kodiak bears fishing the 'rapids' or 'falls' of Alaskan rivers - the places where they catch the Salmon were where the fish were jumping - not in the relatively still pools or quiet stretches of those rivers.The bears were 'palming' the fish out of the air & also grabbing them mid-air in their jaws.
The nearest U.K. place similarly would be a bit like the Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow_Falls

[jeremiah]

Originally Posted by markbugman

The reason we don't see them is that they can hide behind trees
(just watch the ice age films to see how)
Mark

I wouldn't know about mammoths, but bears can hide behind trees. As I was alarmed to see (eventually) on my first visit to Whipsnade. This was in the middle of winter, there were no leaves on anything. One of their brown bears wandered behind a sparse twiggy bush and just disappeared. Not a sound as it walked on twigs and dry leaves, either. And only the sound of quiet biting as a couple of porky young bears rolled around fighting.

Well, I was impressed, anyway!

[MattPrince]

Yeah, bears are a pain if you are trying to bird.

One second you are stealthily stalking skulking siberian specials through the long grass... the next you come across the biggest pile of bear do you've ever seen.. and it is still steaming. All stealth goes out the window then, and you start talking amongst your group, first quietly, then quite loudly, just so you don't startle Commrade Bearski who's obviously not very far away...

Never thought, it might have been mammoth poo..

[Tringa]

I want to know how the people who take these shots of mystery creatures, thought to be extinct creatures or big cats always have cameras that cannot focus. Odd isn't it?

I tend towards bear and fish, but it would have to be a lot better than this for me to consider it reasonably.

And yes, I too have heard you need to be very careful around bears ----


Advice from the Alaskan Wildlife Service

In areas where bears are common, attacks on humans, while rare, do unfortunately happen.

Attacks by bears can never be eliminatied and the Wildlife Service encourages all persons entering areas frequented by bears to be viligilant at all times. However, the following may be helpful in reducing bear and human encounters.

Bears will, almost always, avoid contact with humans and where we have been able to establish the circumstances of an attack it is frequently the result of a bear being surprised by a member of the public. The sudden proximity of a human startles the bear and an attack happens.

It appears that when bears are aware of the presence of humans they will tend to move away and the chances of an attack are reduced.

The Wildlife Service advise that persons entering areas known to be frequented by bears maintain a conversation which will alert the bears to their presence. The Service can also loan, without charge, a string of small bells. These can be worn around the neck or attached to a rucksack. The bears are able to hear the bells from a distance and again the chances of startling a bear are reduced.

In most areas two types of bears may be found – black bears and brown bears. One of the simplest way of determining which type is in your immediate area is to examine the droppings. Black bear dropping often contain stems, roots and berries, while those of brown bears are more likely to contain the remains of mammals, fish and a proportion of small bells.


Dave

[MattPrince]

LoL.

Thankfully we weren't carrying any bells.

I prefer Highland Park.

I expect if I drank enough of that I'd be able to see Woolly Mammoths crossing rivers, Black Panthers in Glos, and a Great White Shark just offshore.

(Only 5 more months before the Sun runs its next Great White Porpoise story)

[Equinox]

I saw the photo yesterday and my first impression was that it was a Bear,this is the first time i have seen the film and it confirms that it is a bear.

I think those of us like me who have a bit of romance in us would like to prove that the Mammoth,along with the Loch Ness monster and the Yeti do exist but it seems unlikely.

the Mammoth however could have lived in pockets in remote Siberia until comparatively more recent times,say a thousand or two years.
They were very common in the North Sea area as trawlers are regulary bringing up their bones.

A good book i read about 15 years ago was Mammoth Hunt in which explorer Blashford Snell led a few parties including a few minor celebs into the jungles of asia to serach for asian Elephants with huge domed heads,that were supposed to be the closest living relatives of the Mammoth.

It is this romance and the hope that a previously thought extinct species may still survive that makes wildlife so fascinating.

It's a wonder Hollywood haven't made any films on the subject.

[blackb1rd]

Isn't it odd that there's no footage of the "Mammoth" entering the river nor of it leaving the river, which would show clearly what a huge mammoth it is......

[fairplay]

If the clip is not touched up at all, the animal (whatever it is) was probably in this position when first spotted, then he would be panicking to get the camera out of the case quickly (and maybe not have time to put it on the correct setting) and fired away.
But as for an excuse of not showing it leaving the water - hmmm.
The only logical excuse is he ran out of storage space at that particular moment, depending upon the type of camera.

But surely on an adventure like this one would have a spare card whatever - perhaps the animal had gone by the time he could have the camera ready again - but we should have been told.

Neil.

[blackb1rd]

Originally Posted by fairplay

But as for an excuse of not showing it leaving the water - hmmm.
The only logical excuse is he ran out of storage space at that particular moment, depending upon the type of camera.

I'm not sure what the point of any video camera is that can only shoot for 10seconds before running out.....It's also difficult to believe that someone wouldn't notice a mammoth heading towards them and so start filming earlier.

Anyway, the chap who posted the clip first is a well known paranormal enthusiast who has previously posted UFO videos.

It's also thought that the video has been intentionally blurred (nothing is in focus) hence the terrible quality, far worse than you'd expect from almost any modern camera.

Lastly it was shot half a year or more ago, strange that a mammoth sighting didn't seem of big enough importance to release the clip sooner?

It's nonsense, quite clearly, I actually believe the big cat videos more (which is really saying something!)