Sometimes a bear just wants a little privacy. We can't decide whether this polar bear cub was curious about or irritated by the adventure cruise ship M/S Expedition, which drifted into its territory on the Norwegian islands of Svalbard, midway between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean, late last month.
There are only a few creatures that can thrive in one of the coldest, iciest and some consider the most unfriendly part of the Earth. Polar bears love to roam around Arctic ice sheets, swim deep into the freezing coastal waters and candidly float on sheers of ice. Thanks to their thick coat of insulated fur which shelters a warming dense layer of fat. Thick fur, even grow beneath their paws to safeguard them from the frostiest surfaces and give them a strong grip on the ice where they tread on. They have characteristics that make them innate swimmers, their toes having tiny webs between them to aid them to swim fast and get agile n water.
Amazingly, Polar Bears survive and dominate in this relatively unfeeling and subzero environment making them masters of the Arctic worlds relying on sea lions, dead whales and other mammal carcasses. They are powerful, attractive and very fascinating, imposing the beauty of nature with all its bounty.
However, their number is fast decreasing. That is why there is a conflict between considering them as merely threatened or endangered. The description of “threatened” can be traced back during the time of President George W. Bush administration but further discussions recently have given rise to a need for review whether or not Polar bears are indeed “threatened” or going down to be moved and classified as downright, “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act that will highly affect climate policies and help regulate greenhouse concerns. In the same manner, the Obama administration has adapted the Bush-era rule.
Behind the pros and cons of branding these furry Arctic giants of either being “threatened” or “endangered”, one fact remains. They are not growing much in number and there is not much to feed on although there are snow geese eggs that have been their fancy. Year after year, there is movement in the environment and the climate change will also increase variably affecting these adorable-looking and gigantic marine mammals. We can just wait and see what is going to happen next.
Bears have taken a popular spot in a number of animated classic features and cartoons, with Yogi Bear and his ever-loyal sidekick Boo boo, being among the most famous and popular.
First appearing as a supporting character in the Hanna-Barbera produced The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958, Yogi eventually got to have his own show which eventually came out with a string of supporting characters like Boo Boo, Cindy Bear and Ranger Smith.
In 2010, a real live/CGI feature Yogi Bear feature was produced, featuring the voice talents of Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake and Anna Faris. The movie, though featuring a more than 50 year old character, didn’t exactly become the Hollywood breakthrough which was expected to be.
To the tune of most cartoon personalities of the time, Yogi’s personality was based on the personality on the Ed Norton character of The Honeymooners.
As a bear, his penchant for “stealing picnic baskets” is very well established, one which has played a pivotal role in the development of the series central plot. Bears, in real life, are notorious for “raiding” the food supplies of campers or natural park picnickers, but this “bear aspect” isn’t driven by the mischief and hunger drives which motivate Yogi.
Hunger remains to be the main motivation why bears often raid picnic baskets and such, oftentimes causing fear and distress among picnickers.
Generally, bears don’t attack people unless they are provoked, and as natural creatures, they are known to use their massive size to intimidate, rather than to attack. Feeding the bears in national parks are not a good idea, since this would only encourage them to frequent designated picnic areas and facilities.
Should you ever find yourself in a natural park picnic situation, verify the presence of bears in a given zone/area with park rangers before spreading your picnic blanket. Though most designated picnic areas are fenced to keep bears out, there’s the off chance of a bear managing to find a way in, which would result to a “Yogi bear” scenario, where picnic baskets get swiped.
As the name implies Polar Bears live in areas surrounding the North Pole, on which is the Arctic Ocean (there are no polar bears in Antarctica). Polar bears are relatives of the brown bear, but much larger—in fact, polar bears, along with Kodiak bears, are the biggest land carnivores living today.
Their main diet are seals, which they catch when these seals are trying to reach for air above the ice. Polar bears locate the ice holes and the seals using their very keen sense of smell. Polar bears also feed on walruses whenever they can. Polar bears are also good swimmers but they don’t usually swim when hunting.
Polar bears have become physically adapted to living in the polar regions, evolving snowy fur, large paws with traction, and a thick skin so it can withstand even frigid water.
The 29-year-old female, Geebee, died on Sunday, the zoo's manager of veterinary services, Katja Koeppel, said in a statement.
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