Bears, Boundaries, and Better Living

By Camille Mc Millan Rambharat

Recently, Canadians were shaken by news of a tragic grizzly bear attack involving teachers and schoolchildren during a school hike. The incident sent ripples across the country and quickly sparked intense debate. Should we increase hunting to manage bear populations and protect the public? Or does this reaction unfairly target animals who are simply protecting their home, their food sources, and especially their young?

My heart aches for everyone affected, the families, the educators, and the children who endured fear and injury. I also grieve for the wildlife now pushed into the centre of public scrutiny. In moments like this, we can forget an important truth. We are often the ones moving deeper into their habitats, pushing further into forests and mountains that were once quiet spaces for bears to live, raise their young, and flourish. Bears are not villains. They are parents, protectors, and guardians of their territory. They do what any loving caregiver would do when threatened.

Our son, an experienced hunter who understands the land well, taught us early on an important rule. You never harm a mother bear or her cubs. Mama bears are fiercely protective because they must be. Without them, cubs cannot survive. That simple rule carries profound wisdom. Real love never exploits the vulnerable. Real love safeguards them.

This reflection brings me to a different kind of wilderness, the one many of us live in every day. In many ways, a mama bear’s instinct mirrors the calling we feel in our roles as parents, mentors, caregivers, and disciples. I am a proud mama bear. I love my family, I love my faith, and I love the peace God has allowed me to build. When outsiders, whether bullies, abusers, or those who bring entitlement and toxicity, trespass into that sacred space, something within us rises. We set boundaries. We speak up. We defend what is good.

Yet today, people who stand firm or speak out against injustice are often labelled as the attackers. The narrative flips, and suddenly the one defending their peace is painted as the problem. But the desire to protect the vulnerable, whether children, elderly parents, one’s dignity, mental health, or spiritual well-being, is not a character flaw. It is a holy impulse, one that must be guided by courage, mercy, and self-control.

Our world feels increasingly nosey, noisy, and messy. Loud voices often trample boundaries, while those who quietly build up families, communities, and parishes are overlooked or dismissed. As Catholics, we are invited to another way, a way that blends compassion with firmness, tenderness with truth. Scripture teaches that the righteous care for the needs of their animals and that God calls us to defend the weak, the orphan, and the oppressed. This means honouring creation while also protecting human dignity.

As the year draws to a close and a new one begins, we are given an invitation. We are invited to live as mama bears and papa bears in the Gospel sense. To protect without dehumanising. To speak up without shaming. To build homes, workplaces, and communities where respect, justice, and loving protection are the norm and not the exception.

May we enter the New Year with courage, clarity, and compassion, ready to guard what God has entrusted to us with both strength and tenderness.