Do Not Feed The Bears

It was a familiar sight at Yellowstone National Park: traffic backed upfor miles as visitors fed bears from their cars. It may have been againstthe rules, but park officials were willing to turn a blind eye if it kept thepublic happy. But, bear feeding eventually became too widespread anddangerous to everyone - including the bears - for the National ParkService (NPS) to allow it any longer. As one of the park's most belovedand enduring symbols, the Yellowstone bears have long been aflashpoint for controversy. Alice Wondrak Biel traces the evolution oftheir complex relationship with humans - from the creation of the firststaged wildlife viewing areas to the present - and situates thatrelationship within the broader context of American cultural history.