Wednesday, October 21, 2026Est. whenever the ice went out

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Wildlife

Cruise Passenger Who Read One Bear Safety Pamphlet Now Giving Lectures On The Dock

JUNEAU — Ohio resident Pam Strickler, who skimmed a bear safety brochure during her ship’s approach into Juneau, has spent the past three hours explaining the difference between brown bears and black bears to fishermen who have lived here for forty years.

“If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back,” Strickler told a deckhand named Lyle, who has been charged by a sow twice. “Unless the black one is brown. Then it’s complicated.”

Strickler then recommended Lyle “make himself big,” a suggestion he received while gutting a halibut.

Sources confirm Strickler’s ship departs at 6 p.m., at which point, residents say, “the bears and the town will both get some peace.”