The first live tests of Troy Hurtubise鈥檚 grizzly-proof suit have found that its best protective feature is its bizarre appearance. Hurtubise donned the suit and squared up to a 145-kilogram (320-pound) female grizzly last week but the bear just found it too weird.
When confronted by Hurtubise in the Ursus Mark VI suit, the bear smelled a human, but saw an alien. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no grizzly that鈥檚 going to come near you in that suit,鈥� the bear handler told him, after he spent 10 minutes in a cage with the cowering animal.
Hurtubise has been tinkering with his bear-proof garment for 15 years and has been the subject of a television documentary and the recipient of an IgNobel prize. The grizzly test was supposed to be the first live encounter, and was part of a trio of try-outs in British Columbia, Canada.
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Tooth and claw
In the first test, the suit had to go it alone, without Hurtubise inside, with a fearsome opponent 鈥� a 545-kg (1200-lb) male Kodiak bear. The suit was placed into the cage of the giant bear, to get him accustomed to it. Eventually, the bear began to sniff the contraption, fashioned from steel, titanium, chainmail and rubber, and then proceeded to jump on it.
鈥淵ou could hear the metal straining,鈥� says Hurtubise. 鈥淗e started to investigate the thing with claw and tooth.鈥�
Though it ripped off chunks of rubber, all was well until the bear began to shred the protective chainmail and was called off by the handler. Hurtubise has learned that you should never skimp on chainmail. 鈥淚 should have used shark chainmail,鈥� he now laments. 鈥淚nstead, I sent away for butcher鈥檚 chainmail from France.鈥�
Without effective chainmail, the bear handler decided not to allow an attack by the Kodiak. But he did permit Hurtubise to take on the smaller female grizzly.
Bear breath
Finally, he went back in the ring with the Kodiak 鈥� but no contact was allowed. It took the bear a while to approach but soon enough it was just six inches away. 鈥淚 could feel his breath coming through my visor,鈥� says Hurtubise. 鈥淚 was terrified.鈥�
Nonetheless, he plans to face the beast again 鈥� with full contact 鈥� in spring 2002, once he has installed the proper chainmail.
And he has decided that Ursus Mark VII will have to have a redesign, to look a little more human so it does not scare off the grizzlies. 鈥淚鈥檓 just glad to get home in one piece,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e got Christmas to look forward to.鈥�
