Nov 8, 2009: Bald bears
At a zoo in Leipzig, all of the female bears have lost almost all their fur.
BBC:
Zoo curator Gerd Noetzhold said he had discovered that zoos throughout Europe and further afield had encountered the same problem, but no-one knew why.
One expert suggested it could be caused by climate and the diet of the bears, whose native habitat is South America.
The bears come from the Andean mountains of Ecuador, Peru and northern Bolivia.
oh, that's really disturbing!
The bears come from the Andean mountains of Ecuador, Peru and northern Bolivia.
So, a South American bear got a Brazilian.
And there's no picture, but there's a video of a bald hedgehog here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/8344733.stmthe lady bears are simply following the fashion trends...no one likes a big bush anymore.
I think some Hollywood costume designer just found their next creature.
Thats Night mare inducing !!!!!
it seriously looks like a movie werewolf, doesn't it?
no one likes a big bush
George W or the other one? :eyebrow:
Stick a long tail on that thing and it would look just like a giant rat. Seriously, go look again.
I've always thought that bears were a cross between dogs and people. now i know i was right.
although,....there must be an elephant in the woodpile too.
I showed Mr. Clod the picture without any captions... he guessed "a very sick lion, maybe?"
bare bears. like balding men, though, they cultivate the beard to distract from the rest
And there's no picture, but there's a video of a bald hedgehog here:
That hedgehog video makes me sad. Poor little guy.
Having said the above, how about a recipe for bald hedgehog in a bald bear.
My cat has a very thin coat. He is accepted by other people because he is still covered in hair, but he does share some of the obvious underlying features of a Rex - compared to Mum's cat for example. The difference is, he is a breed, and he is plainly happy.
It's interesting to see animals without their protective layer. But if they are normal (ie not specifically bred) and lose their hair it is very sad. Surely it can only be a symptom of stress. Global warming has by no means reached a point to make animals shed their fur - the trend might be upwards but is nowhere near consistent enough to affect mammal behaviour. Poor caged bears. And yet where else could they go?
Shame they're trying to get by with the combovers. It doesn't work for Mort from Accounting, either.
(I was assuming either stress or or some kind of mange.)
I wasn't sure offhand what bears live in the Andes, but when I found a pic, immediately recognized Spectacled Bears. I have always liked them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectacled_Bear
I don't think it is too out-of-line to suggest these are just an extreme example of how animals generally fail to thrive in zoos.
I do have to say that hedgehogs look better with their spines.
Fattest chupacabras I've ever seen. But if they are bears then they should have their thyroids checked. Or perhaps they have found a way to keep from becoming rugs?
I think you're on to something; the zookeepers shaved them and are selling the fur to keep the zoo running
That's not a bear exactly. This is what happens when a bear mates with a Kangaroo.
Showed them to a doctor friend, and who guesses nutritional deficiency.
I am a total cryptozoology fan (much to my scientist husband's chagrin), not because I believe in bigfoots & sea serpents, but because I believe that many of the "legends" are based on sightings of anomalies & mutations of known species. The bears shown here are just what Im talkin' about. If I saw that in the woods Im not sure I could tell you what in the hell it was!
Good point, Londoners didn't know what the Elephant man was, either.:idea:
That looks like Mange at it's worse!
Definitely unattractive, but you could dip a bear in shit and I'd still want to hug him.
Welome to the Cellar, juju!