Of Bears and things...

I've always been an admirer of Bears, but my taste generally ran to Polar Bears and Pandas.

As a child, on a trip to Beardsley Zoo I became fascinated by the Polar Bear. I watched endlessly as he dove into the water, pulled himself up on the rock, turned, dove, pulled, and so on... Years later, I learned that Polar Bears in captivity are prone to OCD. The boredom of not having to forage for food causes them to develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so they repeat the same pacing/swimming/circling movements over and over. But at the time, all I knew was that this huge white bear moved with a remarkable rhythm that was mesmerizing.

I asked my Dad if we could bring him home and he, being the coolest Dad on the planet, said "Sure! He can sleep in your room." My mother was not so cool.

Needless to say, I didn't get my fuzzy roomate.

As for Pandas they're really the superstars of the Bear world when it comes to publicity. They've been endangered for years. And yet, they're in every zoo around the world. We've seen videos of them playing, eating, sleeping and even mating. I remember seeing that Panda Porn on the animal channel. Too freaky for words. Pandas have no shame.

Now, there is a brown Bear in my life.

No great drama in his life. He isn't a victim of global warming, nor is he in danger of extinction.

The only thing that threatens him is public humiliation.



"Save the Bear... save the world."