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Add to FavoritesLiving with Bears: More Reality than Fiction
Throughout fiction, there have been many stories of humans living with animals. Whether one is referring to the stories of the Jungle Book or Julie of the Wolves, one thing can be ascertained that some humans have always tried to portray people as being able to live with animals in nature.
There has been some debate about whether or not animals and humans can co-exist further than they already are. After all, we already have trained a walrus who can dance to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal as seen in this video. Oftentimes when one goes to a circus, one sees wild animals trained to do feats that can defy expectations. Animal training has been around for many centuries. There have been records going as far back as the Persians using elephants in their armies and their battles. Even to this day, people still train falcons for many sporting or entertainment needs. Oftentimes, many people will own pets of various natures to feel more connected with nature, whether they own something as commonplace as a dog or whether they choose to venture into the more exotic with tarantulas and snakes.
However, one has to wonder if bears can share the same love and care and loyalty for humans that dogs and cats can exhibit. The truth of the matter is, it can be done and has already been done. In order to understand this article, one must think about the circus analogy again. Bears, lions, and tigers have been used in the circus for many years now. Some animal trainers stick their heads in the mouths of animals; others do daring and amazing feats with animals that could easily turn on their trainer and overcome a human with disastrous results.
As hard as it may be to believe, in history there has been record of a bear who worked with humans, going as far as to try to become one and to support them in their time of need. For those reading this article that do not know the story of Voytek the Soldier Bear, allow me to explain. His name is actually spelled Wojtek in the Polish language, which has a translation to "warrior who enjoys war". However, his name is pronounced "Voytek" and he is commonly known in history by that spelling.
Voytek the Soldier Bear was found by a young boy in Iran. At less than a year old, he was sold to the Polish 22nd artillery for some food. The bear was fed milk by the troops who eventually took in the bear as their very own pet. He eventually became an unofficial mascot to the company before finally being given his own soldier number and rank of private.
This bear became very popular with the group and was often given beer as a reward. It is often said that the bear enjoyed drinking bear and having cigarettes just like the rest of the men in the company.
During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Voytek was said to have carried heavy crates containing artillery shells among gunfire and bombshells going off all around him. It is said that despite the immense weight of the crates, the bear never dropped a single box. His full story can be read here.
It is of this writer's firm belief that if a bear can be trained to ignore gunfire and shelling in the middle of a battlefield to help his comrades in battle and to enjoy a beer and smoke just like any other man in that company, a bear can be trained to be domesticated and live in harmony with humans.
Learn more about this author, John Toth.
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No
Bears in general are a very strong species, and they often live a solitary life, or hang around in small groups. Bears are a carnivorous animal; around 80% of their diet relies on the consumption of some sort of meat, whether it be from large animal, marine animal (fish,) grubs, or any other kind of living thing. This makes them very hungry for the protein-enriched flesh item.
When hungry, the bear can be led to hunt creatures that are quite large, this makes them dangerous to any kind of nature walker who is out on the hunt for the perfect winter picture. One collision with a wild, hungry bear, and the nature lover will be the one targeted for the latest meal. It is almost one hundred percent certain they will be attacked.
Bears are a cunning creature, and they can stalk their prey just as well as a lion. They can stay camouflaged in the blanket of some forest shrubbery, well hidden and out of sight. A bear so large never looked so invisible; however when the victim is close enough, they will spring out of nowhere and attack. Bears have sharp claws which can rip through almost anything. They can also grab things incredibly well, and once they have what they want in their clutches, it is almost impossible for the capture to get away. It is well-known that a bear will not by choice eat the flesh of a human being. However, a person will get injured even if they are being hunted for the ham sandwich inside of their right pocket.
The bear is also very aggressive when they are protecting a clutch of babies. There is no greater love then that of a protective bear mother. She will virtually put her own life in front of her cubs' lives in order to ensure that they remain safe and sound. They will attack absolutely anything that dares to come near their den, or their marked-out territory. The bear will not stand any intruders trying to get to their newborns. As sweet as this is, the ordinary nature lover will find this type of love more then a little bit irritating - they will be given maps upon which territories of precious land will be marked as 'no go' zones. They will be given warnings by the local park ranger in order to ensure they understand the precautions of taking a trip through the forest. They will have to spend their holiday trek worrying rather then enjoying the nature around them. This is to ensure they remain safe from the wild world, and of course from any furious mother who has had her boundaries intruded upon.
So overall there is no way a person can actually live with a bear. There are always going to be boundaries - there will never be a time when human and bear can actually walk side by side together in unison. In the wild the bear has to be avoided; in the inhabited world the bear has to be caged. It is possible for human and bear to live in the same period of time. However, they will always be separated by a fence line or boundary line for their own safekeeping from each other.
Learn more about this author, M Pereira.
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