Sometimes a bear is just a bear

When animals make the news, the story is mostly about us humans.

It's about our encounters and relationships with them, and our reactions to that news are based on how each of us relates to the animals involved.

The stories are different, but they all ask the same question: Who and what are we?

A week ago, a Port Orchard man was riding his bike in Banner Forest Heritage Park when he encountered a bear. The animal attacked him.

Several readers wrote letters to the editor saying we ought to look at this from the bear's perspective.

The biker invaded the bear's space and the animal was doing what it would be expected to do.

Their opinions were based on a couple of assumptions — that the man had unleashed dogs with him and the bear was protecting cubs.

We don't know whether that was the case. But my tendency is to empathize more with the bear when people venture into areas where the animals are known to live.

I assume a bear would be acting on instinct, not out of malice. And I like bears, or the idea of them anyway. I value their rights. That makes me feel good.

But I do have to remind myself that bears aren't inherently good. They're just bears.

The reminder is necessary because, like most people, I'm not objective in my assessment of animals. I'd have to think a bit before seeing things from a snake's point of view.

Snakes don't seem cute, fierce or noble.

I saw a poll on animal-human relations that found urban dwellers conflicted. Most thought we should aspire to a kind of equality with animals, but they also find our fellow creatures tasty.

The researchers supposed that people could hold those conflicting feelings because the nature of the relationship wasn't a big issue for them.

People who spend a lot of time thinking about animals, animal-rights activists and farmers, held less-conflicted views.

Of course, our feelings change with the animal in question. We're especially close to some animals.

In this country, dogs would be near the top of that list.

My mother got a new dog while we were visiting her this summer and we all fell in love with it.

But association with people has been a mixed blessing for dogs. We were falling for the new dog while Michael Vick's involvement with dog fighting was making headlines.

You know the details. They call into question the mental health of anyone who would participate.

At the same time, we were hearing about the late Leona Helmsley, "the queen of mean," leaving $12 million to her dog.

Both stories outraged people. Neither extreme is anything new in our relationships with animals.

The mistreatment sticks with me, though. The animal world is violent, but mostly it isn't gratuitous violence.

Animals I can understand, but people are a mystery still.

Each time I read a story about people and animals, I find myself wondering who we are.

Jerry Large's column appears

Monday and Thursday.

Reach him at 206-464-3346

or jlarge@seattletimes.com.