Although the show was praised for promoting respect for nature and family values, it also drew criticism for its unrealistic portrayal of a wild bear's interaction with humans. Some critics noted that the show premiered only a few weeks after the well-publicized Glacier National Park, Montana fatal grizzly bear attacks of August 13, 1967, when two female campers were killed by grizzly bears, in separate incidents and locations, on the same night. When the show debuted, PTA Magazine complained that "or years, there have been warnings to children and adults against feeding and playing with bears...How CBS could permit a program with a black bear for a pet—not a cub either—but a gigantic adult bear—is beyond our comprehension."