Many children’s stories have been turned into movies by Walt Disney. One such story is the classic compilation of novels by Rudyard Kipling called the Jungle Book. In the animated movie based on the book, a boy named Mowgli grows up in the jungles of India with wolves. Together with a black panther named Bagheera and the bear sloth Baloo, he fights for his life against an evil tiger named Shere Khan.
One of the main characters of the movie is the fun loving bear sloth Baloo. Bear sloths are very common in the Indian jungles, going also by the name of labiated bears. They are nocturnal insectivores, meaning they are most active at night and live off insects and other small, similar creatures. Many scientists have traced the bear sloth’s heritage to the brown bear. Unlike the black and brown bears however, a bear sloth has a lankier build. They have long, rough, shaggy coats, which form a mane around their neck. They also have claws that are sickle-shaped, make it easier for them to scoop out bugs, while their lower lips are specially adapted for sucking the insects out of their nets, thus making them very close to sloths. They feed during early spring through summer time and have their babies during the start of winter.
Bear sloths mostly live off honeybee colonies, fruits and termites. There are very few known bear sloth attacks on humans, but these bears can actually get very aggressive if provoked or if they are protecting their territory or cubs. Unfortunately, the bear sloth’s natural habitats have been drastically reduced by human development. Poachers and hunters have also reduced their population due to excessive hunting for their claws and baculum. Many have also captured these bears and placed them in circus and shows because they are very easy to tame.
Bears have taken a popular spot in a number of animated classic features and cartoons, with Yogi Bear and his ever-loyal sidekick Boo boo, being among the most famous and popular.
First appearing as a supporting character in the Hanna-Barbera produced The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958, Yogi eventually got to have his own show which eventually came out with a string of supporting characters like Boo Boo, Cindy Bear and Ranger Smith.
In 2010, a real live/CGI feature Yogi Bear feature was produced, featuring the voice talents of Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake and Anna Faris. The movie, though featuring a more than 50 year old character, didn’t exactly become the Hollywood breakthrough which was expected to be.
To the tune of most cartoon personalities of the time, Yogi’s personality was based on the personality on the Ed Norton character of The Honeymooners.
As a bear, his penchant for “stealing picnic baskets” is very well established, one which has played a pivotal role in the development of the series central plot. Bears, in real life, are notorious for “raiding” the food supplies of campers or natural park picnickers, but this “bear aspect” isn’t driven by the mischief and hunger drives which motivate Yogi.
Hunger remains to be the main motivation why bears often raid picnic baskets and such, oftentimes causing fear and distress among picnickers.
Generally, bears don’t attack people unless they are provoked, and as natural creatures, they are known to use their massive size to intimidate, rather than to attack. Feeding the bears in national parks are not a good idea, since this would only encourage them to frequent designated picnic areas and facilities.
Should you ever find yourself in a natural park picnic situation, verify the presence of bears in a given zone/area with park rangers before spreading your picnic blanket. Though most designated picnic areas are fenced to keep bears out, there’s the off chance of a bear managing to find a way in, which would result to a “Yogi bear” scenario, where picnic baskets get swiped.
Brother bear, a wonderful animated family movie, tells the story of a human who is cursed and transformed into a bear after killing one to avenge the death of his brother. The spirits are angered by his act and turn him into a bear as punishment. During his journey to ask the spirits to turn him back to a human, he meets an orphaned bear cub whom he develops a bother-like bond with. In the end, the human decided to stay as a bear to watch over the cub and take care of him.
The bears in the movie were typical brown bears that you would see in the forest of North America and northern Eurasia. These bears commonly weigh between 220 and 1,300 pounds however, a brown bear sub species known as the Kodiak bears can grow as big as polar bears. They are commonly solitary animals, except if they have cubs. They prefer to roam around the alone looking for food and shelter. They are very protective of their territory and will defend it form danger. Brown bears are known to have salmon as an essential diet and as such, they usually stay near river banks fishing for their favorite food.
These bears are known to have long fur that is very thick and a long mane on their necks. Interestingly enough, not all brown bears are brown. Depending on the subspecies and the area, they can range from brownish yellow to a reddish brown with silvery tips. In North America, the most well-known brown bear is the grizzly. Grizzlies have very dark, almost black fur. Some also have creamy brown coats, depending on the area and habitat. Moreover, brown bears are known shed their fur—lot’s of it in fact. During winter, their coats are thinner and have a rougher texture. During summer, it’s sparser and shorter.
