If you started off your day in a state of depression because of that bear-milking story, hang on:"A bear is wandering through a residential area Wednesday morning in Sun Valley. The bear has been climbing fences and roaming through residences' back yards. The bear surprised two horses as it emerged from one backyard, then walked through another corral with three horses a few blocks away." I am not sure yet how this whole thing will play out, but it has got to end better than "caged bear getting liver drained for medicine." I mean, right? This week has been pretty rough already, I don't know if I [...]
"Boxed and wrapped in paper and bows, teddy bears have been placed lovingly underneath Christmas trees for generations, to the delight of tots and toddlers around the world. But the teddy bear is an American original: Its story begins with a holiday vacation taken by President Theodore Roosevelt." Not surprisingly, death follows.
"The male bear, known as M13, was shot dead by wildlife rangers on Tuesday, said Adrian Aeschlimann, spokesman for the Federal Office for the Environment. 'The cull was carried out according to the management plan for bears in Switzerland,' he told AFP on Wednesday." —Imagine that quote in the original German.
Did you forget to stay up late waiting for results from the U.N. climate talks in Doha? Well, you'll be happy to know global warming is solved thanks to a bold consensus decision to take aggressive international action on carbon emissions and sustainability. No, wait, that is not what happened. Here's a typically sunny reaction: "It’s very, very depressing. There is nothing [in the text] at all on finance, nothing about emissions reduction, it's all about workshops and talk shops. There is no commitment by [by rich countries] on anything."
Then again, "low expectations" were the only expectation at all. Sorry, polar bears and etc.
"The melting Arctic ice has brought polar bears and grizzly bears together and their hybrid offspring, known as 'pizzlies,' have been detected on Canadian islands. It is a trend that is happening with other species as well, and scientists are worried because it poses a risk to biodiversity."
Would you like to see the governor of Massachusetts cradling a bear cub? Would it help if I told you the bear cub is absolutely adorable? It would? Well, then, here you go. If you would like to see a polar bear cub as well, go here.
Is this 39-year-old momma bear who has successfully evaded two generations of drunken Minnesota hunters the oldest bear in the world? Sure, why the hell not.
"Not all encounters with bears had a happy ending this year. Albert E. Smythe of Lanark Village was arrested by sheriff’s deputies on Oct. 3, for shooting a black bear and attempting to hide his actions after FWC officers investigated an incident that took place at Smythe’s home on April 10. Initially, Smythe claimed to have witnessed a hit-and-run involving the bear but further investigation showed the bear had been shot."
"Berlin's famed Knut was officially immortalized on Wednesday with a bronze statue in the city's zoo. Though the cuddly polar bear won't be forgotten anytime soon, the memorial keeps the dream alive for future generations."
