Bears have a sad history in Europe ... and it's not getting any better. There is plenty of outrage (including from Europeans) about animals disappearing in Africa or the Amazon but when it comes to our own backyard, it appears to be different. What is essentially the difference between a child in Switzerland seeing a bear on the other side of a bridge (and taking fright sufficiently to end up in hospital) and a child in Africa coming face to face with a hippo or a crocodile (of which there is a much greater chance and where there is almost no chance of getting to hospital in time to be treated).
The picture of the bear with what looks like a primitive muzzle on its mouth is so sad (and deceptive) - I guess it must have been taken when it was having a tracking device fitted. But it really makes you think about how we are treating our fellow travellers on the ark. For a moment there, I was wondering how this bear could eat with that contraption on its mouth.
It appears he is an illegal immigrant - an Italian bear who has wandered into Switzerland. Could that be part of the problem?
What can the Swiss, Austrians and Italians learn from the Canadians that might help them sleep easier at night with a bear in the village? I remember being in Whistler where I had the impression it was common for bears to prowl around at night. Let's hope M13 has a life in the wild - can't be that much of a life anyway. But from the article, I don't think much of his chances. Perhaps they should just catch him right now and put him in a zoo so that people can go walking in Graubunden without a care in the world and then pay lots of money to go and visit him. But then he might find himself in a zoo where he is still not cared for properly.
Now on to kangaroos. They too have become a pest of a different kind in Australia - there are just too many of them in some places now that dingo numbers have been so reduced. In terms of greenhouse gases and good health, Australia would be much better off if we farmed kangaroos instead of cattle. Apparently Kangaroo meat is lean and rich in iron plus it is virtually chemical free. It is also very tasty and when cooked right (admittedly a bit harder to get it right than cooking beef), it is gourmet food. And then there is the thorny issue of feral camels in outback Australia though in this case we are not talking three animals but 1 million ...
So is it all just about economics in the end - supply and demand? The dilemmas of life! I wouldn't be a bear for all the tea in China.
PS I just found out that life for bears in Switzerland is sadder than I thought. Even zoos don't want them. We have seen this poor fellow (who was euthanased due to their being no place in a zoo for him) frolicking about in the water often. RIP little teddy!
The picture of the bear with what looks like a primitive muzzle on its mouth is so sad (and deceptive) - I guess it must have been taken when it was having a tracking device fitted. But it really makes you think about how we are treating our fellow travellers on the ark. For a moment there, I was wondering how this bear could eat with that contraption on its mouth.
It appears he is an illegal immigrant - an Italian bear who has wandered into Switzerland. Could that be part of the problem?
What can the Swiss, Austrians and Italians learn from the Canadians that might help them sleep easier at night with a bear in the village? I remember being in Whistler where I had the impression it was common for bears to prowl around at night. Let's hope M13 has a life in the wild - can't be that much of a life anyway. But from the article, I don't think much of his chances. Perhaps they should just catch him right now and put him in a zoo so that people can go walking in Graubunden without a care in the world and then pay lots of money to go and visit him. But then he might find himself in a zoo where he is still not cared for properly.
Now on to kangaroos. They too have become a pest of a different kind in Australia - there are just too many of them in some places now that dingo numbers have been so reduced. In terms of greenhouse gases and good health, Australia would be much better off if we farmed kangaroos instead of cattle. Apparently Kangaroo meat is lean and rich in iron plus it is virtually chemical free. It is also very tasty and when cooked right (admittedly a bit harder to get it right than cooking beef), it is gourmet food. And then there is the thorny issue of feral camels in outback Australia though in this case we are not talking three animals but 1 million ...
So is it all just about economics in the end - supply and demand? The dilemmas of life! I wouldn't be a bear for all the tea in China.
PS I just found out that life for bears in Switzerland is sadder than I thought. Even zoos don't want them. We have seen this poor fellow (who was euthanased due to their being no place in a zoo for him) frolicking about in the water often. RIP little teddy!
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