Bear cubs of mother euthanized after Yellowstone attack will go to Ohio zoo

The two female cubs would not survive on their own in the wild, officials say, and will be relocated to the Toledo zoo in the autumn

Reuters in Cleveland, Ohio

Friday 14 August 2015 18.10 BSTLast modified on Friday 14 August 201518.30 BST

Two female grizzly bear cubs orphaned after their mother was euthanized because she was linked to the fatal mauling of a hiker in Yellowstone national park will be moved to a zoo in Toledo, Ohio, zoo officials said on Friday.

The cubs, both less than a year old, were orphaned when their 259lb (117kg) mother was killed on Thursday after DNA testing proved she was involved in the death of hiker Lance Crosby, 63.

The 50-60lb (23-27kg) cubs cannot survive on their own in the wild and will be transferred to a captive facility first before arriving at the Toledo zoo in the fall, zoo officials said.

“Upon their arrival at the zoo, the cubs will undergo standard quarantine processes to ensure their health and wellness before going on exhibit for public viewing,” the zoo said in a statement.

Yellowstone’s announcement that it would kill the mother grizzly to ensure public safety unleashed a torrent of protests from wildlife advocates. Grizzly attacks are rare at the park, which last reported two separate deadly maulings in 2011 involving hikers, the first since 1986.

Randi Meyerson, assistant director of animal programs at the Toledo zoo, said workers will never share the same space as the bears. “Bears are dangerous animals and we don’t go in with them,” she said.

Crosby, a registered nurse from Billings, Montana, suffered wounds to his forearms and elsewhere in the attack by the mother bear and possibly her cubs. He had been reported missing by co-workers at a company that operates urgent care clinics in Yellowstone, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Continued ...

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, GET OUT OF THE DAMNED KITCHEN

Bear cubs rescued in Kosovo

International Animal Welfare Organisation FOUR PAWS has rescued three young bear cubs that were being kept illegally in Peja, Kosovo.

First discovered was a young female aged six weeks. The bear was bought by a family at the age of just three weeks and was being illegally kept in their flat.

The family were busted by local police after they posted information up on Facebook detailing how they got the bear, and how it was being kept. The cub was confiscated soon after by the Kosovo Environment Ministry and police officers. However, just days later on 19 March, two more bear cubs were discovered in the same area. As the cubs were the same age as the female cub, it is thought likely that the three are siblings.

FOUR PAWS relocated the three cubs – which they have named Ema, Oska, and Ron – to their bear sanctuary in Prishtina, where they are being cared for. But as bear cubs in the wild spend at least two years with their mother, the condition of the young cubs remains serious. FOUR PAWS bear expert Carsten Hertwig explains that the cubs are stressed, fearful, and very weak. “Ema doesn’t even weigh three kilos,” he describes. “We hope that the rescue was in time and that with our expert care the cubs can pull through and recover.”

The private keeping of brown bears has been illegal in Kosovo since 2010, and FOUR PAWS is calling for the animal dealers who sold the cubs to be found and brought to justice. “There should also be legal action against the family, which bought and kept the bear illegally,” says Hertwig. 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Kosovo-cubs-012.html

India’s ‘Dancing Bears’ Retire in Animal Rights Victory

The sight of poorly fed and badly treated bears being forced to dance on the streets of India is a thing of the past as a campaign to wipe out the practice has finally borne fruit, activists say.

The tradition of forcing sloth bears to dance for entertainment dates back to the 13th century, when trainers belonging to the Muslim Kalandar tribe enjoyed royal patronage and performed before the rich and powerful.

Descendants of the tribe from central India had kept the tradition alive, buying bear cubs from poachers for about 1,200 rupees ($22) and then hammering a heated iron rod through their sensitive snouts.


full story:
http://themoderatevoice.com/169586/indias-dancing-bears-retire-in-animal-rights-victory/

 http://www.animalconcerns.org/