Growly was the scourge of Glacier. In the late 1970s, the adolescent male grizzly bear tore through Montana's Glacier National Park, clawing up cabins and campgrounds until he was captured and relocated by park rangers, at which point he'd crawl his way back to civilization to execute another round of property damage. In 1977 the delinquent bear was slated for "destruction" when a zoology student at the University of Montana offered him a new home. For three days Growly languished in a tiny cement block chamber at the northern edge of Manitoba, Canada. Then the experiments began.
Growly—then 7 years old and weighing in at more than 400 pounds—had been brought in to test dozens of strategies for defusing human interactions with bears like him. Under the supervision of zoologist Gary D. Miller, a research assistant stood outside a barred door to Growly's chamber and presented a range of unpleasant stimuli to the captive bear. They played recordings of growling bears and hissing humans. They blared boat horns, blew whistles, engaged strobe lights, and set off firecrackers. Finally, they sprayed chemicals directly into the bear's face: onion juice, Windex, mustard, and an aerosol-based dog repellent called Halt.
The ominous recordings failed to produce a consistent reaction from Growly. When the researchers rang small bells—then sold to hikers in Glacier to warn bears of their approach—Growly slept through the test. Twice. Deploying the boat horn managed to stop Growly midcharge, but it didn't turn him away. The explosive sounds of a firecracker and a dart gun sent Growly scrambling away from the door—for a time. But the dog spray produced the most dramatic and long-lasting results. When the assistant appeared, Growly would charge toward the chamber door. Then he got sprayed in the face with Halt, at which point he'd hightail it to the opposite corner of the chamber, rub his eyes with his paws, and strenuously blink.
Miller concluded that the chemical spray—which "caused immediate, intense pain" upon eye contact—made for a highly effective deterrent. Just increase the dog repellent's range to fit that of a full-grown grizzly, he suggested, and you might be able to prevent a mauling. Once the experiments were over, Miller brought in another grizzly, Snarly, to repeat the tests (followed by two female polar bears), and Growly was shipped off to the Columbus Zoo, where he lived in isolation until he was finally euthanized in 2002. He died an unsung hero: By getting maced in the face in a concrete box, Growly may have helped save countless fellow bears from an even direr fate.
For the rest of the article by Amanda Hess on slate.com, click here.
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