I remember growing up with a show called ‘Wild America’. My favorite episode was one where Marty Stouffer raised an orphaned grizzly bear cub. I didn’t realize it was a movie either because I was entranced by it as a kid. While tigers and wolves remained my favorite, I still had an interest in bears. I always love seeing them at zoos and would hope to see one if I was going through a wooded area. Never got a chance even when I visited family near Bear Mountain, which was aptly named. Maybe one day even though I hope it’s from a far distance.
Not sure about the endangered categories though. Most bears are listed as either ‘least concern’ or ‘vulnerable’. Polar bears are in the latter category even though I swear they’re supposed to be endangered. Some sites had pandas as vulnerable and others as endangered. The sun bear is in the same position. I wonder if it depends on if you’re counting animals in captivity or not. Either way, these animals are in danger due to:
- Habitat loss
- Pollution
- Low birth rate for some species
- Poaching
- Taken for the exotic pet trade
Here’s a site with more bear information. Let’s get to the species: (All pictures found with Yahoo Images search.)
American Black Bear
POPULATION: 850,000-950,000
Brown Bear (Grizzly and Kodiak Bears are subspecies)
POPULATION: 110,000
Asiatic Black Bear
POPULATION: 50,000
Polar bear
POPULATION: 22,000-31,000
Sloth Bear
POPULATION: 10,000-20,000
Andean or Spectacled Bear
POPULATION: 2,500-10,000
Panda Bear
POPULATION: 1,800 (How is that not endangered? They’ll be getting a solo post in April because I might get to see some during Spring Break.)
Sun Bear
POPULATION: Less than 1,000 . . . How is that not endangered?
Now for the fun videos.
Legends of Windemere 
We saw Kodiak bears in Alaska, eating berries and fish to pork up for the winter. They did NOT look cuddly!
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I didn’t see any when I was there. Lots of eagles. Unfortunately, we didn’t do any nature stuff. The one tour we tried for that was by bus and the other people were more interested in stopping at a bakery.
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I’ve seen a lot of bears and they’re always cool. Last one I saw was here in Idaho, but must have been a new adult. It was about the size of a border collie. No mom around, so I figured it was on its own.
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I thought that size would still be a cub.
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Most black bears aren’t very big. They get exaggerated all the time. Some will get huge, just like some people. In fact people is a good way to think about it. A 90lb woman is reality. So is a 90lb black bear. A 600 pounder will happen among people and bears, too. There’s more to a grizzly, but even then, they aren’t the mountainous things Hollywood portrays them as.
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I’ve heard black bears are smaller. For some reason, the idea that an adult is the size of Lassie throws me off.
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When I was in Alaska once there was a radio report the Coast Guard responded to. A black bear killed and ate a kayaker who camped alone on the beach. They shot the bear and it was 90lbs. That’s like a Labrador retriever.
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Alaska sure is coming up a lot on this topic.
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Lots of bears and variety there.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for sharing
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When there is more of “us”,there are less of them.
I’ve seen more Black bears than most people have seen cats and dogs combined. They are all unique just like humans. They are beginning to wake from torpor state.
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I’ve never seen bears in the wild. Just not in the right area.
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come to Tofino and I’ll show you bears! Come in late Sept and you can watch them grabbing salmon and here’s the kicker, it’s all free! I know a spot where the tourists gather to watch them feeding during salmon spawning time.
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I really wish I could go see that. Clear on the other side of North America. I’ll have to put it on my ‘to visit’ list. Do the bears notice the tourists?
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then keep this for when you do
https://www.thorntoncreekhatchery.com/
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Thanks.
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I have always liked bears too. The videos were precious. That polar bear cub getting frightened by the seal was priceless
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Thanks. I’ve seen that video before. Thought it was worth sharing.
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Yes it is
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The bear situation (dwindling numbers) is really sad. I saw a bear in Pennsylvania while staying with a friend. Another friend saw plenty of bears in Alaska.
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I keep thinking I missed out on not seeing bears in Alaska. Doubt I’ll ever be back there too.
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We saw a bear in Montana. I thought it was a cub but, if what Boyack says is true, it was likely a young adult.
I’ve wanted to write a poem about bears for awhile but worry they will be extinct by the time I publish. That’s so sad.
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I was surprised that they weren’t as endangered as I expected.
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The bear fight reminds me of two men fighting in a bar: All brawn and no brains. 🙂
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I don’t know. Get the feeling that the bears still use strategy and intimidation. Looking for an opening and such.
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You might be correct — there was more intelligence to a bear fight. 🙂
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Those numbers are chilling. Homo sapiens’ voracious appetite is destroying everything.
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It’s a messed up combination. A handful of humans are so greedy that they screw everything up. They also keep everyone else trapped in a position where changing for the better either doesn’t make a global difference or isn’t feasible.
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Yeah. 😦 I wish I knew why humans have this innate drive to create hierarchies where a few have everything and most have very little. History has shown that when the imbalance becomes too great, the boil bursts and many of those at the top of the hierarchy end up losing their heads, one way or another. You’d think simple self-interest would make people and their organisations ‘self-regulate’, but it just doesn’t happen. 😦 We are not as smart as we think we are.
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I think humans are tribal/pack creatures that usually have a hierarchy similar to other great apes. The problem is that we’re also territorial and are designed more for small families. A larger group like society removes us from the ‘survival of the fittest’, which the primitive parts of our brains require. Some are worse than others at fighting it and those are the ones who end up gaining power. At least that’s my theory. It’s like compassion and empathy are fairly new adaptations, which many humans don’t have.
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I think I have to agree, Charles, especially about the compassion and empathy. 😦
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing.
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It is a sad surprise that there are so few pandas. Wonderful post, Charles!
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I know part of the issues with pandas is that they don’t breed often. Think they’re picky with mates and don’t have many kids. Oddly enough, humans creating breeding programs are kind of helping them avoid extinction.
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Ah ha! That’s good to know. Thank you, Charles.
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