Ready to do anything just to entertain Chinese tourists?
Here is the news: In Kamchatka, a tour guide chased a bear with a car to amuse a group of Chinese tourists.
The video surfaced online and was published by a Telegram channel with the following comment (quote):
“To amuse the Chinese tourists, a guide scared a bear with his car in Kamchatka.
The ever-so-creative (not) tour guide decided to add some spice to the trip and steered the vehicle straight at the bear near Nachikinsky Lake. The terrified animal ran for its life while the pleased clients laughed. Later, the footage was leaked online.
State game inspectors have launched an investigation—the tour-operator’s staff will be questioned. Witnesses to this harassment are now being sought.”
Fair enough, right? In my view, it is only just to “spook” such a tourism figure the way he “spooked the bear.”
Kamchatka game inspectors seem to agree and are now clarifying the circumstances of the incident.
The head of the Federal Forestry and Hunting Supervision Department of Kamchatka Krai, Vsevolod Voropanov, stated the following:
“Dear residents and guests of the region! I urge you not to feed or disturb wild animals. Today we witnessed an outrageous act of cruelty toward the symbol of our region—the brown bear! To entertain tourists, a local guide drove an automobile across a field near Nachikinsky Lake, chasing a frightened predator. Administrative proceedings have begun, and representatives of the tour operator will be called in to explain what happened. If you have information about the incident, please contact the State Game Inspectorate.”
So, the authorities are aware of the incident, and I hope the investigation will have results—at least they will “spook” him back!
I want to discuss the situation with readers in general, as a vivid illustration of the world we live in.
But for completeness, here are selected comments from the Telegram channel that originally posted the video.
Pay close attention! These are comments I hand-picked from roughly 30 that I saw at the time. That is a large share of the total—far too many, in my view!
“What’s so terrible? The driver chased the bear a bit. Maybe the bear was curious about the car at first, and now it will keep its distance.”
“Well, now the bear will stay ten roads away from cars and people.”
“They chased it, so what? At least it shook off some fat—what’s the problem!”
“Don’t just scare it—shoot it on sight! Game should understand that humans are here and it has no business around.”
(Note: profanity replaced with neutral wording that carries the same meaning.)
“I don’t like bears or other dangerous wildlife. But here the guide clearly showed he has no brains.”
And the most blatant comment, apparently written by a woman:
“(Vulgar insult) animal-rights weirdos, poor little bear—how sad. I couldn’t care less about bears or other fauna; they don’t (expletive) understand anything because they’re animals (expletive). You—animal-lovers—are freaks and laughingstocks.
Here’s an analogy: imagine a person with a severe mental disorder whom society rejects, mocks, abuses—yet their intellect is intact, they understand everything. That’s you: quirky, fanciful, ridiculous. Wherever I meet you in real life, I’ll smash your head on the asphalt, because you’re not of this world. Aliens.”
I’m dismayed by such an attitude toward nature and wild animals held by so many people.
Then again, why be surprised?
Would big-game hunting not only exist but expand into a multibillion-dollar industry of paid killings if there weren’t a large crowd with this mindset?
These are difficult questions that vividly illustrate our world: aggression—often mindless—toward free wildlife and toward one another.
What I am certain of is this: by lowering the level of aggression toward wild animals, we lower the level of aggression in society. By defending the freedom of a wild creature, we ultimately defend our own freedom.
We will send an official request to the authorities of Kamchatka Krai for further clarification and will monitor the progress of the case. The guilty must be held accountable so that this never happens again!
Your support, Allies, and widespread coverage on social media will help draw attention to the problem.
© PAVEL PASHKOV
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