New Book: Kobuk the Destroyer
Kobuk the Destroyer is a famous 650-pound grizzly bear who serves as a premier product tester for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC). Living at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, Kobuk earned his nickname due to his incredible talent for finding flaws in "bear-resistant" locks, latches, and materials.
Instead of traditional stress tests using weights and spikes, manufacturers of camping food storage canisters, coolers, and trash bins pay to put their gear directly into Kobuk's enclosure. If a container can survive 60 minutes of Kobuk clawing, chewing, and pouncing on it without exposing the food inside, it officially receives an IGBC certification.
Author Alex Davies has written a book called Kobuk the Destroyer, which is an exuberant exploration of why the stuff we use (mostly) works—and a celebration of the unsung engineers who ensure it does (including the well known Bear Vault).
His book was also featured on a recent episode of the podcast 99% Invisible…
