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This article has no real facts in it… How often do train cars carrying fermented grain come through? How many bears are actually hit in this manner? (there is

This article has no real facts in it… How often do train cars carrying fermented grain come through? How many bears are actually hit in this manner? (there is just someone saying this is what happens, but no autopsy or anything) I can’t imagine fermented grain leaks are all that common. I’ve been next to a lot of rail road tracks and never seen leaks. Imagine if you had a leak and it remained for 1000 or 2000 miles. This story doesn’t make sense Seems more reasonable a bear doesn’t know what a train is, has gone def or is asleep and just gets hit.

sitharus 3y ago
I don't think the railcars are carrying fermented grain, they carry grain which spills and ferments... However getting grain to ferment is somewhat tricky compared to fruit, you need the right amount of water at the right time to get it to malt and then ferment so I'm surprised there's enough of it. Just surprising, not doubting it happens. I assume the spills are from hoppers with worn out chutes, because I would not expect open hoppers for grain transport.
mattigames 3y ago
They don't need to know what a train is to run from one, they are taller and louder than them so instincts will immediately kick in telling them to run.
- HankB99 3y ago
  In evolutionary terms I don't think that there was anything that represented a danger to grizzly bears (save adult males killing cubs) so they may not have evolved behavior patterns to run from big loud things.
  - usrusr 3y ago
    I think it's safe to assume that those instincts habe been dialed in long before the current state of relative danger fell into place. Fear of wiry bipeds that aren't actually that big but might carry sparkling stuff would be a far more specific, younger and thus variable fear. But then on the other hand train speed is dangerously difficult to assess even for us humans who in theory know full well what a train is. I believe that this is because much of the perception of movement is in terms of "size-units over time", which is why a fly at walking speed appears fast whereas big ship at 25 knots appears almost stationary unless you are too close for your own good.
mindwok 3y ago
Yeah, agree. The article takes "bears killed by trains each year" and then "one guy said sometimes they are drunk on spilled grain" and then interpolated for hyperbole.
- AnimalMuppet 3y ago
  No, some of them are objectively drunk on spilled grain. It happens. Railroad maintenance-of-way workers run into them sometimes. I don't know what fraction of bears killed by trains are drunk, though. I don't know if anyone knows. At least, I have not seen any sources.

sitharus 3y ago

I don't think the railcars are carrying fermented grain, they carry grain which spills and ferments... However getting grain to ferment is somewhat tricky compared to fruit, you need the right amount of water at the right time to get it to malt and then ferment so I'm surprised there's enough of it. Just surprising, not doubting it happens. I assume the spills are from hoppers with worn out chutes, because I would not expect open hoppers for grain transport.

mattigames 3y ago

They don't need to know what a train is to run from one, they are taller and louder than them so instincts will immediately kick in telling them to run.

HankB99 3y ago
In evolutionary terms I don't think that there was anything that represented a danger to grizzly bears (save adult males killing cubs) so they may not have evolved behavior patterns to run from big loud things.
- usrusr 3y ago
  I think it's safe to assume that those instincts habe been dialed in long before the current state of relative danger fell into place. Fear of wiry bipeds that aren't actually that big but might carry sparkling stuff would be a far more specific, younger and thus variable fear. But then on the other hand train speed is dangerously difficult to assess even for us humans who in theory know full well what a train is. I believe that this is because much of the perception of movement is in terms of "size-units over time", which is why a fly at walking speed appears fast whereas big ship at 25 knots appears almost stationary unless you are too close for your own good.

mindwok 3y ago

Yeah, agree. The article takes "bears killed by trains each year" and then "one guy said sometimes they are drunk on spilled grain" and then interpolated for hyperbole.

AnimalMuppet 3y ago
No, some of them are objectively drunk on spilled grain. It happens. Railroad maintenance-of-way workers run into them sometimes. I don't know what fraction of bears killed by trains are drunk, though. I don't know if anyone knows. At least, I have not seen any sources.