This fella is one of two Grizzly bear 'cubs' ( their name: Grinder and Coola) who were rescued from the wilds of Western Canada after they were found abandoned (probably because their mother was killed). Their new home now is at Grouse Mountain's Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, north of Vancouver, Canada--in a enclosure that mimics their habitat. Usually, and damn tragically I must add, new-found orphaned cubs are shot as the resource to care for them is non-existant. But this fella and the other cub (not in the image) are part of a bold 'experiement'. A experiment by a thoughtful scientist to rear orphaned Grizzly bear in a controlled natural habitat and then, possibly, release the bears into the wild. Releasing them into the wild is a far shot as this has never be done before (a la 'Born Free').
These guys are the first batch of the experiement and thus they won't be released into the wild as they have already come into contact with humans. You could say they are 'spokesbears' for their kind, enlightening the public about their plight and the hopeful program. The next batch of orphans will be raised, if everything goes right with these pioneers bears, in a fenced-off enclosure deep inside the forest and then, when they can fend for themselves, into the wilderness...
I've got my figers crossed:)
About Grinder and Coola
Bear Facts
Read their story here from Discovery Channel.
Quote:
"Bears are made of the same dust as we, and breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters. A bear's days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart-pulsings like ours and was poured from the same fountain..." - John Muir...upon finding a dead bear in Yosemite
No comments:
Post a Comment