London Tower...From Wedding Gift to Prison Inmate....

Ja, es gab wirklich mal einen Eisbären im Tower von London...-
Heute geht es also vom Eisbärengefängnis in Churchill/Manitoba noch mal ganz schnell und weit zurück ins Mittelalter, denn das berühmt berüchtigte Gefängnis in London, der Tower, hatte ebenfalls einen Eisbären neben anderen Tieren bei sich untergebracht.

Yes, indeed, there was a polar bear in the Tower....
So today not Churchill but just a quick look to London, back into the Dark Ages, as the London Tower was "home" not only to humans but also to a polar bear and to other animals...
Leider habe ich davon keine Illustration gefunden, deshalb hier noch einmal ein Foto von der Floating Polar Bear Aktion in London, die bereits vor einiger Zeit hier Thema war... Und nun auf zurück ins finstere Mittelalter!

Unfortunately I didn't find an illustration, that one was the only polar bear I could find close to the Tower...subject already in another posting some months ago.

"Where do you keep a polar bear in London....? Hmmmm. For most of its existence, the Tower of London housed the Royal Menagerie - a collection of wild animals that England's kings and queens had been lumbered with following the donation of animals as 'presents' from foreign admirers. The first substantial references to animals being kept in the Tower were three leopards gifted to Henry III in 1235 by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor who married the king's sister Isabella. It's fairly clear that these leopards didn't last long - by 1240 there is a reference to a single leopard and then there is silence. After this initial flourish, the Tower housed (perhaps) one lion, or leopard, until 1252 when Henry decided to have his family's collection of wild animals bought to the Tower from Woodstock, just outside Oxford. How the keepers at Woodstock managed to crate and transport lynxes, camels, leopards and lions over 60 miles to the Tower is anyone's guess, but they duly arrived. In the same year came a 'polar bear' from the king of Norway, which caused more fuss. Running low on appropriate food, Henry declared that 'one muzzle and one iron chain to hold that bear without the water; one long, strong cord, to hold the same bear fishing or washing himself in the river Thames'. The polar bear was a regular sight fishing for salmon on the banks of the Thames. A few years later an elephant arrived (...); captured during the crusades in Palestine and gifted by Louis IX of France. It is evident that the keeper of the growing menagerie had little idea of how to keep these exotic animals, but a special wooden house was built for the elephant which gave him/her the vast estate of a enclosure measuring 20ft x 40ft. The elephant was dead within 2 years, even though at the time they were thought to live for many centuries. Henry's son, Edward I, went on to extend the menagerie adding a lion and an 'ounce' (snow leopard). It was then that the menagerie opened to the public - but not to the masses because of the high entrance fee (although Henry VI later declared that anyone providing a cat or dog as lion feed could gain entry for free). But the lions were just as unlucky as the elephant, and the first leopards, because they all died en masse in 1436 - cause unknown, but no doubt due to their management (they were kept in cages measuring 6.5ft x 10ft). ...Lions did return, but in 1604 King James decided that they should earn their keep by being baited with dogs for spectacular sport. If he bored of this sport, he would send live animals into the lions' den and watch them being torn apart - lambs, chickens, dogs, etc. The king encouraged the lions to breed during his reign (although any cubs rarely survived into adulthood) - and it wasn't for 'conservation' purposes...
Another addition to James' menagerie was a tiger, presented in 1613 by the Ambassador Extraordinary of Savoy. It joined a distinguished company of 11 lions, 2 leopards, 3 eagles, 2 mountain-cats and a jackal - the polar bear had obviously died by then. The life of the replacement elephant, also during James' reign, fared little better than his predecessor. Coming from Spain in 1623 (along with 5 camels), as a gift from the Spanish king, the elephant was given nothing else but wine to drink (a gallon a day!) because, according to his keepers, it was the only thing that he would drink and it kept out the cold. Thus this elephant enjoyed a short, but pleasant life...no doubt the keepers thought that he had caught a chill! Even as late as the end of the 18th century elephants were still being given nothing to drink but wine. The menagerie's fortunes waned during the reign of James' son, Charles I, but then its popularity as a 'tourist' attraction increased right up until the late eighteenth century when it was by far the most popular attraction in the capital: 'going to see the lions' was de rigueur for wealthy Londoners and foreigners (left: Marco, one of the Tower Lions, 1749). The collection now contained many species bought over from India and Africa (due to the expanding Empire): rhino, antelope, tigers and monkeys (which were allowed to mingle freely with visitors in The Monkey Room). Unfortunately, some animals at the zoo were also used for experiments. In 1791 George III was given yet another ostrich and the Tower staff saw its existence as a perfect opportunity to test a theory which had been present since medieval times: that ostriches were able to digest iron. Unsurprisingly, the ostrich died fairly promptly after a quantity of iron nails were left in its cage; upon dissection it was found to have swallowed over 80 nails - the theory was well and truly refuted! By 1809 there was still a sizable collection of animals, but not a particularly happy or healthy one. The interest in the menagerie has waned (due to increasing compassion for animals and the lack of novelty provided by the animals) and the number of animals had dwindled (due to a lack of foreign 'gifts' and colonial acquisitions). What was needed was an injection of new blood (in keepers and animals) and in 1822, Alfred Cops was appointed head keeper. He was a zoologist and an expert in animal behaviour, a man with extensive training and experience looking after captive animals. Along with the passion of the King, George IV, he turned the dwindling menagerie into a well-run collection of over 60 species (see right) of animal living in far better conditions than their previous cramped and unhealthy housing. The success of the menagerie was assured....until the menagerie finally closed in the 1830s and all the animals were passed onto the Zoological Gardens of the Zoological Society of London in the Regent's Park (the beginnings of London Zoo)."

Info taken from: The Tower Menagerie (2003) - Daniel Hahn/see book cover above

This article has been published by Hannah Velten in her blog Round The Water Through. She is an expert in cows(check out her book) interested in all sorts of animal history.

Related articles:
-Absolute Astronomy/Menagerie
-The Tower Menagerie by Daniel Hahn/The Independent 2003
-Polar Bear Game Script pdf
-The Tower of London

Photo credits:
-Was there ever...(1), Floating Polar Bear (2), - The Tower Menagerie (3), Escape Old London's most feared prison (4).
- All other photos found in Hannah Velten's blog

Noch mehr Schuhe...More shoes!

OK, wir kennen das schon, Pinguine laufen gern, manchmal sogar auf Laufstegen...-

OK, we know, penguins like to walk, sometimes even on the catwalk

Und manchmal führen sie sogar die letzte Schuhmode vor...-
And sometimes they even present the latest shoe fashion...

Photo source
Walking in style beating sore feet...

Wellington, 10. November 2006
Die Zootiere, darunter der berühmte singende Pinguin Elvis, haben vom vielen Herumstehen Schwielen unter den Sohlen. Elvis, Neuseelands singender Pinguin, tritt neuerdings mit blauen Schuhen ins Rampenlicht. Die Gummitreter sind nötig geworden, weil Elvis und 16 Artgenossen vom vielen Herumstehen in Gefangenschaft dicke Schwielen unter den Sohlen entwickelt haben, berichtete die Zeitung "The Press" am Freitag.

In der Natur nicht überlebensfähig

Die Pinguine leben im Antarktik-Zentrum in Christchurch und sind alle verletzt aus der Wildnis gerettet worden. Tierärzte glauben nicht, dass sie in der freien Natur überleben könnten. Elvis ist zum Beispiel fast blind. Die Pinguin-Dame bekam ihren Spitznamen, weil sie so schön singen kann.

In Gefangenschaft immer fauler

Freilebende Pinguine seien viel auf Fischjagd und im Wasser unterwegs, sagte Zentrumsdirektor Richard Benton. "Pinguine in Gefangenschaft werden dagegen faul und stehen herum, bis ihnen der Fisch gebracht wird", meinte er. Deshalb entwickelten sich die Schwielen. Für die Pinguine gibt es die Auswahl zwischen blauen und grünen Latschen, die eigens angepasst

werden. (source)

Wellington, 10.November 2006

The zoo animals, including the famous penguin singing Elvis have calluses under their feet from too much standing around.
Elvis, a singing penguin in New Zealand, is now again in the spotlight with blue shoes. The rubber slippers have become necessary because Elvis, and 16 fellow penguins in captivity have developed thick calluses on the soles from standing too much around, the newspaper reported, "The Press" on Friday.

In nature they could not survive
The penguins live in the Antarctic Center in Christchurch, they were all injured when they were rescued from the wild. Veterinarians do not believe that they could have survived in the wild. Elvis, for example, is almost blind. The penguin got her nickname because she can sing so beautifully.

In captivity always lazy
Free-living penguins do hunting and fishing in the water, center director Richard Benton said. "However, penguins in captivity are lazy, standing around until the fish is brought to them," he said. Therefore they develop calluses. The penguins can now choose between blue and green slippers, especially adapted to their needs.

Source:
- Farbige Latschen für Pinguine/ oe24 10.11.2006

Related, but without shoes, an article about the first penguin parades in Australian history on Philip Island

Churchill & The Nuisance Bears & the Extension of the Polar Bear Jail

Es ist eine Sache, in Churchill die Wartezeit auf das Zufrieren der Hudson Bay auszusitzen...
It is one thing to wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze by sitting it out.......manch belesener Bär mag auch durch Douglas Adams inspiriert worden sein...-
...some might have been inspired by Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers Guide through the Galaxy" ... ...und versucht nun auch "Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis" zu kommen...-
...and can be found busy arranging for private means of transport, the more sophisticated the better ... Schon etwas anders gestaltet sich das Warten, wenn man dann bspw. um Hosen oder andere Gegenstände kämpft, entsorgt von nicht allzu weit wegwohnenden Menschen ..Richtig kritisch wird es dann, wenn die Bären durch die schlichte Präsenz von Hosen und anderer menschengegenutzter Gegenstände bärenscharf schließen, dass ein Besuch bei eben diesen Menschen doch durchaus eine lohnenswerte Angelegenheit sein könnte, ein nettes Mahl ließe sich bestimmt finden, eine willkommene Perspektive, speziell wenn die Ringelrobben immer länger auf sich warten lassen...(Für einen Moment lassen wir mal außer Acht, dass Menschen auch die Angewohnheit haben nicht nur Hosen zu entsorgen, sondern auch alle Arten von giftigen Abfällen, die vielen neugierigen und hungrigen Bären nicht wohlbekommen sind...)...-It's another story when it comes to fighting for trousers and other man-used objects, dumped by humans living in the vicinity...And it gets critical, when the bears, smart as they are, deduce by the mere presence of trousers and other human used objects, that paying them a visit might come in handy, a nice meal might already be waiting for them , a welcome outlook especially in times when waiting for the favourite food takes longer and longer every year...(For a moment we'll just ignore that humans ususally don't dump only trousers but also all sorts of toxic waste which hasn't been too becoming for the polar bears in the past...)
Dieses preisgekrönte World Press Foto aus dem Jahre 1971 zeigt einen von 50 sedierten Eisbären kurz bevor er per Airlift aus Churchill ausgeflogen wird, 320 km weiter weg in Sicherheit. Bären, die Müllhalden nach Essbarem absuchten und manchmal auch Menschen angriffen, während sie auf das Zufrieren der Husdon Bay warteten, wurden früher in der Regel erschossen.

"One of fifty polar bears is tranquilized and prepared for a 320km airlift to safety. The polar bears were due to be shot after they had rampaged garbage dumps in the town of Churchill, near the Arctic Circle. They had also attacked humans while waiting for the ice to form in Hudson Bay to enable them to hunt for prey."
Der Eisbärenknast...
1980 wurde für Eisbären, die Wohngebieten zu nahe kamen, ein paar Kilometer außerhalb eine Einrichtung geschaffen, die im Volksmund als Polar Bear Jail bezeichnet wird. Hier im 'Eisbärengefängnis' bringt man seit 1981 die Problembären unter, bis sie nach Zufrieren der Bucht per Helikopter ausgeflogen werden können, bei Überfüllung auch schon früher. Problembären sind Bären, die sich nicht einfach verscheuchen lassen und immer wieder Menschennähe suchen, dies gilt vor allem für Eisbärinnen mit ihren Kleinen, die am dringlichsten auf Nahrung angewiesen sind.

Nahrung gibt es keine im Gefängsnis, lediglich Wasser und Eis, um den Bären keine weitere Lust auf Menschennähe zu machen.Bis 2005 gab es 23 Zellen, danach wurde auf 28 Plätze aufgestockt. Doch nun haben Erweiterungsarbeiten begonnen, um die Kapazität auf insgesamt 60 zu erhöhen.In diesem Jahr gab es rund 300 Vorkommnisse in Churchill und 60 Bären wurden gefangengenommen. Für 2005 fanden sich 58 Bären, während es ein Jahr zuvor 170 waren.

Die letzte tödlich verlaufene Begegnung für Menschen mit einem Eisbären in Churchill war 1983, im Jahr 2004 wurde ein Forscher von einem Bären angegriffen, glücklicherweise ohne schwerere Folgen.

Churchill's polar bear jail getting lots of use

Laura Blenkinsop, National Post Published: Wednesday, December 09, 2009

One of 60 inmates this year

When the polar bear brought her cubs to feast in the Churchill town dump once, she was locked up in polar bear prison. After Manitoba conservation officials caught her again, and again, and again, she was shipped off to New Mexico.

"She kept coming back to the dump with her cubs and teaching her cubs the bad habits of herself," said Daryll Hedman, regional wildlife manager for the northeast region for Manitoba Conservation. The persistent polar bear mom is now known to the town as Linda, the bear who couldn't stay away - and who spent plenty of time in jail.

The unusual facility's role in combatting the polar bear problem in the small outpost of Churchill was highlighted this week when Manitoba Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced $105,000 in provincial funding to buy the building new front and back walls.

The prison is a holding compound filled with rows of cement cells in an old sheet-metal military warehouse. The polar bears that trespass are held there until they can be flown up north and released.

The bears have always been a problem for Churchill. Residents investigating banging noises peer out their windows to find polar bears pounding on their doors. The bears have been known to steal meat from the back of parked trucks. The jail is part of a polar bear alert program that started in 1982, which includes a polar bear alert hotline where bear sightings are called in.

"Churchill's built on a migration route of polar bears," said Mr. Hedman.

The bears come into town between August and November as the ice in Hudson Bay melts and brakes up.

Sitting at the edge of the Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Churchill is a 21/2-hour flight or a 36-hour train ride from Winnipeg.

Mike Spence, Churchill's mayor for nearly 15 years, said the town is the polar bear capital of the world. The western Hudson Bay bear population is just over 900.

Now a port community of about 1,100 people, during the peak of the cold war Churchill was a military base and home to 6,000 people. When the military moved out in the late 1970s the Manitoba government bought the building as a part of their polar bear control plan. The jail is staffed 24 hours a day during bear season by six Manitoba conservation workers. Four of them leave at season's end.

Since 2005, the jail has gone through nearly half a million dollars in upgrades including a new roof, five new bear-holding cells with cooling systems and new electrical systems.

The compound has 20 individual cells but can hold up to 28 bears at once if cubs are caught with their mother. This season, 60 polar bears went through the jail.

Mr. Spence said the polar bear jail looks like a prison for humans, "but the bars are bigger and the doors are bigger, naturally."

The bears also do not have cellmates. Stainless-steel doors cover the bars so the bears cannot see people or each other. Conservation officials want to prevent them from getting accustomed to humans to avoid complications when they are released.

Usually bears "do" 30 days in the Churchill compound before they are tranquilized, put in a net and flown up north where they are marked with a green dot and tattooed before being released. Each flight costs approximately $3,000 and usually only carries one bear at a time.

The tattoos help conservation officials track repeat offenders like Linda. Bears that come to Churchill more than once do increased jail time. They are held until the Hudson freezes again.

"What we'll do with that one, we'll probably just time him out and he's in the holding compound for the duration," said Mr. Hedman. "He's proven to be a problem bear and he could get himself into trouble either for himself or with people."

The polar bear alert line is listed under emergency services on the town's website, right below the fire department and the RCMP. This year the alert line received 300 calls but Mr. Hedman said that most of the time the bears are not actually caught. Instead the polar bear alert team chases the bear with a truck, an all-terrain vehicle and on foot- all while setting off noisemakers that crackle and bang like fireworks until the bear has been run out of town.

Though they are the town's top tourist attraction, the bears pose a real threat to residents Mr. Hedman said. Especially when they are trying to break and enter.

"If they're pounding on the door they could go through the door pretty quick," he said.

"Basically," Mr. Spence said, "you're holding bears in a jail, so to speak, for the safety of the community."

By the way, the last fatal polar bear attack in Churchill was in 1983.

In 2004, a researcher working east of the town was knocked to the ground by a polar bear and escaped with only minor injuries.

Sources & related articles:
- National Post/09.12.2009, Winnipeg Free Press/Dec2009, Winnipeg Sun/Jan2009, WayOdd/2006, Travel Scribbles

- The Shrinking Polar Bears/CBSNews 1999 (!!!- very good article!)
- Sam Fried: Polar Birds and Polar Bears/Nov 2008

Photo credits:
- Alicia Shelley(1), Tom Nebbia-/pro corbis(2), Arctic Adventure Travel Blog (3), David Hiser/Getty Image (4), Corbis (5), World Press Photo 1971/Kevin E.Gavin (6), Lazy Bear Lodge(7), Boundary Waters (8,10), National Post (9), Ebe/Diane Brown on flickr (11,12,13) Find more photos of airlifting the bears by Diane here.

Last news on Churchill: The ice was frozen this year at December 3 & 4, so all the bears will be out of Churchill by now...Thanks, Diane, for this info!

Bad news and good news....

The bad news first...

Two polar bear cubs fail to survive their precarious first moments in Aalborg ZooHere is Malik, a female of nearly 9 years in Aalborg. She gave birth for the first time to two tiny cubs on November 29, which you can see here."Everything seemed to be in order. Malik, the mother, was taking good care of her polar bear cubs. They appeared to be suckling normally.

The third day is considered the most critical for polar bear cubs, and unfortunately this was again proven to be true in Aalborg Zoo.Yesterday morning the zookeepers discovered that the cubs seemed to be weak and decided to remove them from their mother to nourish them.

The cubs were dangerously cold and were placed under a heat lamp in a preheated room, where the zookeepers bottle fed them.The plan hinged on recovering their strength before returning them to their mother again. Regrettably, the cubs were so malnourished they died only a few hours later. Aalborg Zoo says evidence indicates that the mother was not releasing milk so the cubs were starving even though they were suckling."

The Good news now...
Polar bears born also at Zoo Sauvage St. Félicien in Canada!

This is Aisaqvaq, a young female of 6 years at Zoo Sauvage St.Félicien. She too gave birth of polar bear twins, just one day later than Malik on November 30. Here the zoo release:
"Polar bears are born!

Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien recorded a major first in Canada this week—one that few zoos anywhere in the world have had the chance to experience—when one of its residents, a female polar bear named Aisaqvaq, gave birth to two cubs on Monday, November 30, 2009. The first cub was born at 7:48 p.m. and the second followed at 10:22 p.m.

Aisaqvaq gave birth to a cub on December 3, 2008, but then ate it, to the extreme disappointment of Zoo employees. This time, however, things are going well. Aisaqvaq is exhibiting good maternal behavior and doing an outstanding job caring for her little ones, who are quick to vocalize if they’re at all uncomfortable.

A den was designed specifically for birthing and while the first cub was born outside it, Aisaqvaq quickly brought him into its confines. The second cub was born in the den and all three have since remained within it, making it impossible to find out whether the cubs are male or female.

Captivating videos of the births of polar bear cubs and of the female caring for her young have been caught."

We are very sad for Malik who was very careful and tender with them.She would certainly have been a wonderful mother. Let's cross the fingers for her that she will be able to have another chance. Concerning Aisaqvaq's twins we really hope that they will be strong enough to make it. So good luck for both polar bear ladies and the Canadian twins!

Photo credits & source:
- St.Fèlicien: Aisaqvaq by André C on flickr & article: Zoo Sauvage St.Félicien

- Aalborg: Malik by Sussi Kober, & article: Aalborg zoo lose new cubs/Copenhagen Post.12.2009

Talk of the town...Mercedes and the snow....

Nun mal etwas anderes zwischendurch...

Da haben die Fans von Mercedes nicht schlecht gestaunt, anstatt im Schnee herumzutollen, wie es sich für eine tolle Eisbärin gehört, sucht sich Mercedes eher ein unbeschneites, warmes Plätzchen, um den Schnee ganz einfach auszusitzen...))FANS of Edinburgh Zoo's former favourite, Mercedes the polar bear, will be intrigued to find out how she reacted to the first snowfall at her new home in the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie.

The zoo reveals: "Her reaction was not as exciting as we may have hoped! Rather than playing in the fresh snow, as we would expect the penguins to do, Mercedes decided to find the warmest and least snowy spot in her enclosure, and to sit out the cold snap right there!"

Obviously her years in Scotland's tropics have turned Mercedes into a southern softie.

Source: Evening News/08.12.09
Photo credits: Royal Zoological Society of Edinburgh (RZSS)

Global Warming...and Infanticide & Cannibalism Part 3

This is an article I found in the photo blog of Ian Williams. It is another account of what did happen this year in Churchill-Manitoba. I have decided to post 2 of Ian Williams photos here, as I find it crucial to observe with our own eyes what is going on, it is one thing to talk about cannibalism or infanticide in polar bears connected to global warming, and another thing to see and to feel the whole tragic when watching the photos... Most of us will never have the opportunity to visit the polar bears when they are waiting for the ice to freeze, so the accounts and images of those who have had the opportunity are our only source...as long as polar bears can't speak up for themselves...

"Polar Bear Infanticide & Cannibalism on the Arctic Ice - Global Warming

I've just returned from a few weeks in the Arctic observing polar bears (Ursus martimus).
As many as 12 bears were observed at any one time which included large males, females, and females with cubs (1st and 2nd year). I also sighted Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, Silver and Cross Fox, and Rock Ptarmigans.

Photographs were taken in an assortment of conditions ranging from almost balmy conditions in full sun to downright frigid temperatures with 50 knot blizzard winds and falling snow.

Bear Congregation Waits for Ice to Form

From October to November there are many bears that have migrated from the more southerly regions to the shores of Hudson Bay; they are very hungry and have not fed for most of the summer. The congregation is waiting for the sea ice to form to allow them to roam widely to feed upon their favourite prey - the ringed seal.

Lack of Sea Ice

One of the most striking observations I made was the lack of solid sea ice. Although the ice was slowly forming, it was still what they call grease ice, which is ice that is not suitable for the bears to traverse safely any great distance from the shoreline. The sea ice is paramount to the bear's survival as without the ice formation the bears cannot move onto the bay to track and feed on seals.

Cannibalism

On one day we observed a male polar bear feeding upon what appeared to be some type of carrion - perhaps a seal or a other small animal. However, upon closer inspection it was revealed that the small carcass was not a seal but rather a baby first year polar bear. The location of the feeding male was given away by two ravens which could be seen from some distance jumping and flying about.

Circling the male was a female bear which appeared to be in obvious distress. The female was not walking as polar bears usually do - steadily and surely, but instead had a stiff gait and was walking erratically. Further, the bear's head was swaying from side to side and the mother was making low vocalisations.

Although cannibalism is not unheard of in the animal world, it isn't commonly observed amongst polar bears. There are several hypothesis for cannibalism, however, all are unfounded. Perhaps the male bear is removing future competition by killing the cub, or is killing the cub to cause the female mother to become 'available" again for mating. Although these are plausible reasons, it's more likely that the male bear was exceptionally hungry and seized the opportunity for nutritional gain by feeding upon the cub. As mentioned earlier the bears are congregating to feed on ringed seals on the ice. If the ice is not forming earlier enough, then the hungry bears become starved and after reaching such a poor condition may seek alternate prey such as young bear cubs or other animals.

Of interest is that the male bear did not consume the liver of the cub. This is because the liver of a polar bear is toxic. How did the male know the liver was toxic?

Major Concern

What's a major concern is that this cannibalistic behaviour may become more prevalent if conditions favourable for ice formation are delayed, leading to fewer recruitment of a species that is already in decline.

Scientists have documented the gradual reduction and delay in sea ice formation for several years and although some proponents believe this to be a normal event, others believe the cause maybe global warming. Whatever the cause, the results speak for themselves - sea ice is not forming as rapidly or as extensively as it did.

Please note that this image is being posted NOT to discriminate or advance the perception that polar bears are fearless and uncaring predators, but to highlight a concern that global warming is altering the behaviour of specific species.

As I get time I will post a series of images I have photographed of the event.

For more information on the plight of the polar bear, please visit Polar Bears International"

Source & photo credits:
- Again: This article has been published by Ian Williams in his photo blog Anaspides, where you will find more photos.

As long as there is the Copenhagen Conference I will post more often articles concerning the effects of global warming, I did it in the past, I will do it in the future but now I just do it more frequently...

Copenhagen...Climate Change, Polar Bears & Cannibalism..Part 2

Polar bear sculpture shapes climate change concern
CBSNews article Part 2, see first part here

Polar bear image being exploited?

"However, there are critics.

Jose Kusugak heads the Kivalliq Inuit Association in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and doesn't believe polar bears are at risk or in decline. And he doesn't like to see them used to generate sympathy for the cause.

"I have no doubt that the polar bear image is being exploited. They seem to have to use a nice-looking animal to get more money for their cause, so that's why they're using the polar bear," he said.

Coreth said his project isn't political, even though it's funded by the World Wildlife Fund and associated with Polar Bears International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of polar bears and their habitat.

The message, he said, should transcend politics.

"We can stop this process if we get ourselves in order," he said about climate change.

A recent report from Polar Bears International suggested the late formation of Arctic sea ice might be forcing some hungry and desperate polar bears in Churchill to resort to cannibalism.

Eight cases of mature male polar bears eating bear cubs have been reported this year among the animals around Churchill, according to scientists.

But Kusugak said the incidents are non-events, and it's wrong to connect the bears' behaviour with starvation. He said it's a normal occurrence among the bears.

Kusugak admitted some communities are having polar bear problems because warmer-than-average temperatures mean sea ice hasn't yet formed properly.

But he disagrees their numbers are dwindling or that polar bears are in other danger because of climate change."

Reading this, I want to make you aware of another article a Canadian friend sent me some days ago, but find here the blog entry of JoAnne Simerson from San Diego from her latest visit in Churchill/Manitoba...Thanks to Diane who made me aware of it too.

Polar Bears: Tundra Heartbreak
Posted at 10:55 am November 27, 2009 by JoAnne Simerson

JoAnne is in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to study polar bears.

I will open by telling you that this story will break your heart. Please know this will not be easy to read, but it is a story that needs to be told.

On November 20 here in Churchill, just east of Gordon Point, we saw the tragic loss of a 11-month-old cub and the grieving of the loss by its mother. We did not witness the actual death but the aftermath: a young adult female with her cub was attacked by an adult male polar bear. The female lost the battle as the large male overpowered her and killed her cub. Valiantly she charged him and tried to get her cub back, but it was too late.

Soon other bears arrived in the area, but the large male prevailed and began to consume the small body in a hill of willow bushes. Still the mother continued to wander the area with every hope of saving her cub. The male eventually moved the small body out to the coast where the mother had less opportunity to charge him, but he left much of the pelt behind.

The mother continued to circle the male, risking even more harm from the other bears gathering if not from the male. Eventually she moved back to the willows, desperately searching for her cub. What she found was the pelt.

She picked the pelt up in her mouth, carrying it and swinging her head side to side, a behavior that bears do in extreme stress. The mother charged at the other bears, never dropping her precious possession. She wandered in this manner for a long time. We left her at dark still very unsettled, but she had finally placed her cub’s remains near a willow bush, protected from the wind.

It was indeed heartbreaking. We don’t really understand why this sometimes happens. But in my nine years of visiting Churchill, it is the first time I have seen this. Many of my colleagues who have been here for decades have not witnessed this. We don’t know why, but this is the third cub death this year caused by another bear. I can only hope this is not a sign of what is to come as we lose yet more ice to our warming climate.

JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Source & photo credits: JoAnne Simerson's blog

Related article: The Star.com/28.11.2009

Bears not only in the freezer: The Ice Bear Project ...Copenhagen & London

'When the skeleton begins to appear, it's going to become terrifying.'—Sculptor Mark Coreth

"Of all species in the history of life on this planet, there has been one whose ability to leave its mark has been like no other... Us! With the application of our brains and the use of our hands, we have sculpted this world and our endeavour has covered its surface, from the deserts to the Poles.

Along with tools for cutting and clearing, our ancestors shaped artifacts, to help express their place and their struggle. Human hands created the incised mammoth tusk, the cave paintings, the carved offerings, and across tens of thousands of years, these still appeal to our senses and communicate ideas. These hands, which can over exploit our world, can also capture its essence and that essence, characterised as art, touches our emotions and can change us.

So, at a time, when through science, evidence of humankind's extraordinary destructive ability is being revealed, it is through art that we can express our emotional response. "(extract from The Ice Bear Project)

Polar bear sculpture shapes climate change concern

"A British sculptor carving a polar bear out of ice, with a bronze skeleton inside, hopes to make a powerful environmental message when the Arctic animal art piece melts.

Mark Coreth started creating the ice polar bear on Friday in Kongens Nytorv Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, close to where nearly 20,000 people are expected to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from Dec. 7 to 18.

Coreth got the idea after visiting Churchill, Man., in November, and observing the bears and the sea ice.

He said he was struck by the plight of the animals due to climate change, and became convinced "that we have got to do something about this and do it quick."

At 1.8 metres, the bear sculpture will be the same height as the average thickness of the floating sea ice in the Arctic Ocean as measured during the Catlin Arctic Survey earlier this year, he said.

Observers will be encouraged to be interactive with the sculpture, he added, saying that anyone who touches it will help change the shape and "represent the human aspect of warming the planet.

"We hope that this creative act will bring home to each person how humanity has the power to affect the delicate balance of nature," he said.

Coreth doesn't know how long it will take for the ice bear to melt into a pool of water, but as it does, he hopes it will send a message to the world.

"When the skeleton begins to appear, it's going to become terrifying. When the bronze appears, it is going to take warmth through the skeleton and melt that ice even more," he said. "That is akin to a lack of ice in the arctic north — the deep, dark ocean absorbs heat and continues to melt it."

Coreth said his idea has been strongly supported by Arctic scientists and researchers.

"It's extraordinary how the scientists, every one of them, have come up and said this is the message we want people to have, we want to tell people this," he said. "They've given it a complete blessing."

Coreth also has the support of federal Liberal David McGuinty, Canada's critic for energy and the environment, who will be in Copenhagen as part of this country's official delegation at the conference.

He hopes it'll shame the Harper government into signing onto a global climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Canada has moved from leader to laggard on the international scene," McGuinty said.

(read full CBS article here, there is a second part on which I will refer in a second posting)

And here a BBC article about Mark Coreth , his bears, his projects and his vision... By the way, he is not only on his own , there are Ice Bear People linked to the Ice Bear Project.

The man with bears in the freezer
Sarah Jones/3 November 2009
BBC

In amongst the broad beans and vegetable samosas, in a freezer in North London, are the latest creations of Wiltshire sculptor Mark Coreth.

Coreth isn't known for doing things by halves.

Back in 2007 he got his chainsaw around a mountain of polystyrene blocks to create a jumbo-sized (literally) African bull elephant in his garden.

Two years on and he's got another supersized project on the go, a life-sized ice bear on Trafalgar Square.

Few sculptors can boast a massive three-ton white African bull elephant, in their back garden, let alone two 12 foot long hunting polar bears in the freezer.

Polar bear skeletons in the freezer

But as of last month, Mark Coreth can when his latest creations - two Arctic bear bronze skeletons - went on ice in an industrial-sized freezer somewhere in North London.

It's the extreme sculptor's latest project that will see Trafalgar Square's Northern Terrace playing host to a prowling ice bear in the run-up to Christmas:

"What in fact I'm doing," says Mark, "is to combine bronze and ice in a piece that I hope is going to be incredibly powerful.

"I'm going to carve the polar bear in ice. It will essentially be an ice bear and as the ice melts it will reveal a skeleton, a pool of water and a very powerful message."

It was back in 2007 that Mark made his first trip to the Arctic and witnessed first-hand the receding sea ice and the effects of global warming on the Arctic's polar bears. It was then that he decided to bring the Arctic to the world:

"I was sitting on the sea ice with this enormous and beautiful iceberg that had been born thousands of years back. And lo and behold along comes a daft little sculptor from Tisbury, with an ice axe, who starts to chip a polar bear out of it.

"That's when I thought 'wow' this is incredibly exciting. A little bit like graffiti a little bit naughty but very sculpturally pleasing."

With the idea of a life-size polar bear sculpture, hewn out of a block of white ice, Mark approached an ice sculpting firm in Wimbledon to get to grips with the techniques of ice sculpting.

But learning to get a chisel around a giant ice cube has been the least of his problems. And in fact creating a giant ice cube, big enough to chisel a polar bear out of, has been far from straight forward:

"Although it's taking six weeks to freeze, it's relatively quick frozen," says Mark.

"But the ice doesn't just freeze beautifully from inside outwards. So unless you keep that water moving, breaking it up and topping it up slowly you'll actually end up with a huge box of ice water."

Chainsaw massacre on Trafalgar Square

But leaking tanks and runny ice aside, the ice bears are now safely on ice in an enormous industrial warehouse freezer amongst, as Mark puts it, millions of broad beans, prawns and an unbelievable number of boxes of vegetable samosas.

With one ice bear destined for the World Wildlife Fund's Big Tent exhibition in Copenhagen, on 5 December, and the other for the North Terrace of Trafalgar Square on Friday 11 December, Mark has his work cut out for him. Especially when he's being restricted, by Westminster, with what he uses to cut his work:

"To some extent the initial carve will be done with a chain saw but apparently," admits Mark, "Westminster is a little windy of me having a chainsaw massacre on Trafalgar Square.

"So I think I'm restricted to my chisel."

Armed with just his simple long-handled ice chisel, albeit with a blade sharp enough to shave with, Mark will be whittling a 12 foot long and 6 foot high striding 'big beastie' not only in front of the National gallery but in front of a crowd as well:

"I'm going to have a crack at doing it as fast as I possibly can," says Mark. "I'm hoping within the day but I do work quite fast. It will be a whole day of sculpting in a slightly theatrical way.

"It's actually visually beautiful because you've got this very sharp ice chisel and sort of slicing through it and particles of ice flying everywhere and as you carve another bit away you're revealing this bear."

Sculpting in underpants

But with the cost of freezing giant polar bear sized blocks of ice making test runs out of the question, it's not only going to be, as Mark puts, a little bit of belt and braces but hard graft as well:

"On the square at 7am," says Mark, "and as far as I'm aware the press invading come midday. So there's a pretty major time limit.

"And it is a high energy form of work and I think you may well find me stripped down to my underpants but I promise to go no further."

With planning permission for the polar bear skeleton to remain on the square for just 10 days, and no idea of how long it will take for the ice bear to melt, Mark is keen to re-incarnate his ice bear in squares around the world:

"I'm hoping to send the skeleton to different cities around the world," says Mark, "where we'll go through the same process.

"Imagine if we can get a bear in Red Square, a bear in Tiananmen Square and to finish off at the Olympics in London would be, I think, very poignant."

If you want to see Mark Coreth in action, head down to Trafalgar Square from 7am onwards on Friday 11 December. Or if you'd like to get your hands on the ice bear, and Mark is keen to get thousands of people touching it, then the ice bear or ice bear skeleton will be on the Northern Terrace for a further 10 days.

Sources: CBSNews & BBC Wiltshire

Related :
-Mark Coreth's website , Ice Bear Project & Blog
-Mark Coreth's Ice Bear Projects: Copenhagen & London (Dec 11/Trafalgar Square)

-Kurzmeldung zum Projekt Kopenhagen auf Deutsch hier/5.Dezember

Ulli J hat im Knutitis-Forum eine tolle deutsche Übersetzung des CBSNews-Artikels gepostet, ein Video von der Kopenhagen-Aktion gibt es hier!

Belated Happy Birthday Wishes, Knut!!!!

Lieber Knut!

Du wirst es nicht glauben, aber deine Einladung zum Gebutstagsfest hat dein Aussenposten eben erst öffnen können und dabei ist uns das Herz noch ein wenig schwerer geworden, denn wie gerne wären auch wir hautnah dabei gewesen, als Gianna dir deine Geschenke entwendet und den Restkuchen vertilgt hat, oder ist das nur ein Gerücht???
You won't believe it but your outpost has been able to open your invitation to your birthday party only a few minutes ago, our heart felt even heavier then. You have no idea how much your outpost would have liked to be with you on your special day, sharing the moments on which Gianna stole parts of your cake and gifts..., being able to see the first pics, they prove it has not been a rumour...
Wir können uns nur entschuldigen, neben zahlreichen anderen Gründen ging kurz vor deinem Geburtstag auch noch die zentrale Harddisk kaputt, solltest du darauf bestehen, dass wir uns noch weiter schämen, kein Problem, aber bitte schicke uns dann doch eines der älteren Jutesackmodelle (wenn möglich das rote...), dann können wir uns darunter verstecken... Und um es noch schlimmer zu machen, bis jetzt haben wir noch nicht einmal die Geburtstagsgrüße wiedergefunden, die bei uns auch im Aussenposten für dich die letzten Tage eingegangen waren...As we have been out of Internet and PC business due to several reasons and one broken HD we can only apologize, in case you want us to continue to feel ashamed,we humbly ask you to send us one of your older jutebag models (maybe the red one...) in order to hide our face ...And to make things worse, somehow we can't still access your birthday greetings which have arrived in the outpost during the past days...Ja, du hast richtig gehört, es gibt noch etwas nach, bloß wann...-
Yes, you got it, there is still something to come...In der Zwischenzeit könntest du ja ein wenig Gianna bearbeiten und sie überzeugen, dass Essenteilen eine Sache ist, Geburtstagsgeschenke klauen aber eigentlich nicht zum Repertoire einer Lady gehört...-

Maybe in the meantime you can work on Gianna and convince her that sharing food is one thing but stealing birthday gifts should really be out of the question for a lady...Vielleicht sollte dich der Aussenposten erstmal für einen Wie-verteidige-ich meine-Geburtstagsgeschenke-Workshop anmelden? Was hältst du davon? Wie auch immer, dein Aussenposten liebt dich ganz einfach wie du bist und wünscht dir nachträglich zu deinem dritten Geburtstag alles Gute... -

Maybe first thing the outpost should sponsor a How-to-defend-my-birthday-gifts- workshop for you... what do you think about it...? Anyway, Knut, your outpost just loves you the way you are, have a wonderful year, whatever it will bring you....

Und nun gucken wir erstmal das Morgenpost-Video und lesen ein wenig in den Zeitungsartikeln zu deinem Geburtstag...-
And now it's watching and reading time of birthday videos birthday articles...

Related:
-MoPo- Geburtstagsvideo & Artikel, (photo 4 with you and the gorgeous cake is from here)
-BZ-Artikel
-KnutsWeeklyMagazine (Here we found the lovely pics of you taken by Caren and LeenaP)