Polar Bears: Have You Ever Seen One in the Wild?

  I have! I've seen polar bears both alive and dead in the wild.  Now before you get upset, I'll explain in this post the circumstances for both.  Before, I moved to Alaska, I'd seen a polar bear in captivity in the zoo.  You know, those enclosures to protect visitors with a drop between you and the bear so you can't get in and they can't get out.

 The other times I've seen polar bears are either in animated films where the bears have a personality or stuffed on a shelf in the toy department. Both are very cute and adorable and no way true to real life.

The first time I saw a polar bear in the wild was way out in the Bering Straits, on some ice that was flowing south, much like you see in the picture to the lower right.  The ice was about half a mile out and you could see the polar bear running and jumping from slab to slab. I think the bear was going north a bit faster than the flow of the ice.  It was quite a sight.

The next time I saw a polar bear it was dead.  It was thanksgiving morning, rather early, when someone spotted a polar bear prowling by the school.  Apparently this man called another man who threw on his clothing and shoes, rushed out barely dressed with rifle in hand.  He had to shoot the bear because it posed a danger to the children and people on the island.

We were all sad that the animal had to be killed but someone said the bear was old and sick with nothing in its stomach.  According to the guys, the bear was waiting to die.  They were also glad that school was not in session because the kids would have been out and in serious danger.


When you go to the zoo next, enjoy watching the bears and other animals.