Learning the BEAR necessities! Zoe the orphaned cub is taught survival skills at an animal shelter

By SARAH GRIFFITHS

Unable to feed or fend for herself, Zoe may have died if she was not rescued by a charity and brought to a bear sanctuary in Greece

Chased by a pack of sheepdogs, a three-month- old bear cub became separated from her family and found herself alone.
Unable to feed or fend for herself, Zoe may have died if she was not rescued by a charity and brought to a bear sanctuary in Greece.
There, the orphaned bear is learning the basics to survive in the wild so she can one day roam the hills again.

The feeding process takes place in such a way that Zoe is encouraged to search for food. The fruit and nuts and vegetables, food that she will be able to find when she will be released, is not given directly to her, but it is hidden in different spots in her enclosure. Here, she discovers apples tucked behind a rock

Experts at Arcturos Bear Sanctuary in Kastoria, north Greece, tried in vain to reunite the badly dehydrated young cub with her mother and are now teaching Zoe survival skills from a distance.
Philip Mansbridge, CEO of UK charity Care for the Wild International, which helps fund the sanctuary, explained: ‘At her age, Zoe really isn't equipped for being alone so being rescued has probably saved her life.

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Saved from a grisly end... by a grizzly! Bear pulls drowning crow out of the water

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A crow found an unlikely saviour in a grizzly bear, when it ended up in a pond in its enclosure.
The bird had managed to fall into the water and was drowning when the grizzly discovered its plight and pulled it to safety.
The unusual Baywatch scene was filmed by a visitor at Budapest Zoo earlier this summer and uploaded to YouTube.

Hang in there: Vali the bear discovers a crow flailing in her pond at Budapest Zoo, and goes to investigate

In the short film, the bear is seen walking around near its pond, when it sees the flailing crow in the water.
The bear, a female named Vali, approaches the side of the pond, and after first attempting to pull it up with its paw, bites on to the crow’s wing and drags it out of the water.

Curiouser and curiouser: As the crow moves towards the edge of the water, Vali follows to investigate further

The terrified crow nabs Vali in the nose, and she immediately lets go of the wing, and retires to her apples and carrots.
The bird appears in shock, lying on its back for a few seconds while panting.

Vali the Valiant: The bear first tries to grab hold of the crow with her paw, but fails and bites on to its wing instead

Gotcha!: Vali the bear drags the drowning crow out of the water by its wing

Roughed up - but alive: The shocked crow eventually manages to get back on its feet

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

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Bear strikes up unlikely friendship with a WOLF sharing dinner on several nights

By ANNA EDWARDS

Dinner for two: Each evening after a hard-day's hunting this pair of unlikely friends met for supper

Both are meant to be isolated hunters that strike fear into everything they meet.
But this male bear and female wolf clearly see the softer side in one another and eat dinner with one another.
Each evening after a hard-day's hunting this pair of unlikely friends could be seen sharing a romantic deer carcass meal together as the sun set over their wilderness home.

Rare pictures show how the young brown bear and grey wolf would sit down to eat together and even enjoy romantic views over the landscape for up to two-hours

The unlikely friends could be seen sharing a romantic deer carcass meal together as the sun set over their wilderness home

These best friends were spotted meeting up every night for ten days straight

Share with me! The predators would happily share their spoils with each other

Welcome to the club: The bears seemed to welcome the lone wolf into their company in Finland

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2443974/Bear-WOLFs-unlikely-friendship-caught-camera-photographer.html
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If you go down to the woods today... you'll find a family of dancing bears! Hidden camera reveals exactly what grizzlies are up to when they think no-one is watching

Amazing video filmed in wilderness of Canada's Kananaskis Country
When one grizzly discovers tree he returns with a whole family

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Dance party: A family of bears has been filmed dancing around a tree in a Canadian park

North America may be full of bears, but it is rare for people ever to get close enough to observe them in their natural environment.
So this video, filmed by a hidden camera in a Canadian park, is a unique opportunity to see how wildlife behave when they are not in the presence of humans.
And the result may be surprising - because the bears appear to be pole-dancing around a tree in the middle of the woods.

Comfort: The bears were apparently attracted by the chance to scratch their backs on the tree's bark

The extraordinary video was filmed in Kananaskis Country, a large expanse of national park in the province of Alberta.
Part of it was made with a normal camera, and part with a night-vision lens, so that it captures wildlife at play 24 hours a day.
Over a number of days in May and June this year, a variety of animals including deer and black bears approached the tree which the camera was trained on.

Pose: The unusual positions taken by the animals are reminiscent of human pole-dancing

At one point, as many as four bears were vying to grab a spot on the tree - and their vigorous motion made it look as though they were pole-dancing.
The video of still images edited together and set to an upbeat soundtrack by Ewan Dobson was uploaded to YouTube by Alberta parks offficials.
It has garnered more than 200,000 views in less than a week as viewers flocked to enjoy the wild antics.



source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381372/Hidden-camera-Canadas-Kananaskis-Country-reveals-wild-bears-think-ones-watching.html
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Best friends fur ever: Bear cub and a chimp make most unlikely companions

By AMY OLIVER

Bam Bam the grizzly bear cub and Vali the chimp have become firm friends

Like most youngsters, their play can get a little wild. But five-month-old grizzly bear Bam Bam and 16-month-old chimpanzee Vali are the most unlikely friends.
For while together they resemble a pair of cuddly toys, they would normally live on different continents.
And when they grow up, Bam Bam is likely to be about nine times the size of his chimp pal. But the young males have been inseparable since being introduced at the Myrtle Beach Safari park in South Carolina, where they were born.

The five-month-old bear and 16-month-old chimp live at the Myrtle Beach Safari Park in South Carolina

Visitors delight in watching them wrestling and playing tag. In the wild, Bam Bam would live in the wilds of North America, while Vali’s natural home is the jungle of central Africa.
Park owner Bhagavan Antle said staff decided to see whether the pair would hit it off when Bam Bam reached the same size as Vali – even though bears grow much faster than chimps.

The pair love to play together and have been best of friends since they were introduced

‘We got them out there playing on a sunny day and they went on and on for hours,’ he said. ‘Neither of them wanted to quit. They would lie down and fall asleep at our feet, wake back up and start wrestling again.’

Staff are not sure how long the friendship will last as Bam Bam will quickly grow into a 56st adult bear, while Vali will reach only 9st

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Battle of the bear-knuckle boxers: Heavyweight clash caught on camera after one grizzly stole his rival's lunch

By KERRY MCDERMOTT

Bear fight: The two grizzly bears stood on their hind legs as they tussled in the forest in Alaska

These incredible images show two mighty grizzly bears engaged in claw to claw combat - after one tried to swipe a salmon the other had caught for its lunch.
The photographer who stumbled across the aggressive scene in a national park in Alaska said he felt like a 'dead man walking' as he watched the enormous creatures do battle just three metres away from him.
Shogo Asao, 60, said the roars of the brown bears - who each towered at around 8ft tall on their hind legs - echoed around the forest as they clawed and bit one another in the wilderness.

The bear on the left appears to duck down on all fours before drawing himself up to full height again as the battle rages

Food fight: The fight broke out after one of the bears took a salmon the other had caught to eat, photographer Shogo Asao said

Aggression: The bear on the left appears to dominate after landing a swipe on its rival

Mr Asao, 60, was making his way to a waterfall in Katmai National Park - famous for its brown bears - when the tussle broke out.
'Suddenly, I saw two bears watching each other and roaring,' he said.
'They quickly began fighting wildly, without noticing that I was very near to them. One ran away until it was just three metres in front of me, and the other chased it at full speed.

Force: The photographer stumbled across the scene as he walked towards a waterfall in Katmai National Park, Alaska - which is known for its brown bears

Retaliation: The bear on the right fights back and manages to land a blow on the nose of the other grizzly

'They were roaring, beating, clawing and chasing each other.'
The professional photographer whipped out his camera to capture the showdown.
'This is the first time I had seen such an exciting scene,' he said. 'I was so close to the violent animals that I felt like a dead man walking.'

Stand-off: The grizzly on the right launches itself off the ground as it grapples with the other bear

'Violent': The 60-year-old photographer said the roars from the two bears echoed around the forest as they fought

The battling bears both towered at around 8ft tall when standing on their hind legs, photographer Shogo Asao said

The two grizzlies - thought to be around six years old - exchanged blows for a few minutes before moving into the trees and continuing to fight, then disappearing from the photographer's view.
Mr Asao, who lives in Tokyo, Japan, said: 'Female bears usually hunt salmon at isolated places away from the waterfall.
'They have to take care of their babies and want to avoid fighting.
'After seeing this, I understand why,' he added.

source: dailymail

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And don't come back! Hilarious moment a woman comes face to face with enormous black bear on her deck and orders it to leave

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Marching orders: A black bear was told just how welcome it was when a woman whose property it was exploring came right up to it and shouted at it to go away

A protective home-owner came face to face with an unlikely visitor on Friday when an enormous black bear climbed onto her porch in search of food.
The heavy-limbed, furry behemoth was making its way happily up some stairs to the deck when Nishanto, the owner of the house, emerged and, standing mere metres away, loudly gave the bear its marching orders.
Alarmed by Nishanto's fearless and noisy histrionics as she screamed at it to 'Get down, right now!' the bear wasted no time in backing down the steps and scurrying away across the lawn.

I'm not kidding: After pointing at the bear and shooing it away the woman, named Nishanto, according to the man who filmed the scene, faced off with it until it left

Alerted to the presence of the wild bear by a man videoing its journey from the other side of the house, Nishanto came out of the home office ready for combat.
Pointing a finger bravely she screamed: 'Get down right now! No! No! No! Down!'

Not wanted: The bear ran off across the lawn as Nishanto kept shouting 'No!' and 'Get down!'

Though this was Nishanto's first encounter with the bear, this wasn't the first time it had visited the pretty house and its lush, floral garden.
In a series of videos posted in September, You Tube user Nayana Grillo recorded the hairy beast as it wandered onto the lawn and found a birdseed cage at the foot of the steps to the deck.
The man filming, along with another male companion, marveled as the bear pawed at the wire container and finally managed to extract the suet.

First visit: Earlier, in September, the homeowner had filmed the bear make its initial appearance at the house looking for food and watched as it found a cage of birdseed

Sitting on its behind, much like Winnie the Pooh, the bear then tucked into his nutty feast as the two men watched.
'Mr Bear, you look so fluffy I want to touch you,' remarked one man as the sound of a plane flying overhead did nothing to distract it.
But the bear's scavenging didn't stop there.

Tuck in: Holding the camera with professional steadiness, the man and his male companion watch as the bear manages to get the bird suet out of the container

source: dailymail

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Un-bear-lievable! The mother who brought home wild bear and raised it as part of the family

By KERRY MCDERMOTT

New addition: Velga brought Ilzite home with her after discovering the abandoned bear in dense woodland near her home in Latvia

Goldilocks has nothing on this wood-dwelling mother who raised an orphaned wild bear alongside her children.
Velga Vitola made a home for the abandoned bear cub - named Ilzite - in her shack in dense Latvian woodland, where it played with her children, joined in on family walks, and even slept in the 55-year-old's bed.
The passionate animal lover said her family regard the wild bear as a sibling, adding: 'I raised three children - a son, a daughter, and a bear.'

Along for the ride: Ilzite the bear peers out of the window of Velga Vitola's car as it joins her for a spin

Ms Vitola stumbled across Ilzite along with another abandoned bear cub in the dense forest surrounding her home in Latvia's Ligatne National Park, and immediately whisked them back to her shack to raise them herself.
'Both my bears grew up in the house. They woke my kids up for school every morning,' she said.
One of the cubs later died, but Ilzite thrived with the Vitola family, developing a strong bond with Velga in particular.

Right at home: The wild bear kicks back on the sofa

'She loves to give me, her mum, a kiss - any other human would lose their head if they tried it.
'We just love each other,' she added.
Ms Vitola suspects her beloved Ilzite has grown up believing it is a human being rather than a bear.
'Once she saw her reflection in the window. It sounded like thunder, she was growling so loudly because she thought she looked like me - her mum,' she said.

Loving home: The growing bear is seen eating bread from a bucket, left, and playing with a toy on the sofa, right

Ilzite is not the only unusual pet Ms Vitola - dubbed 'the mother of all animals' - has made a home for. Her menagerie of wild creatures has included everything from hedgehogs to an elk named Freddie during her 22 years of living in the woods.
'Once I woke up because a pair of wild geese were in my bedroom,' she said.
And the kind-hearted 55-year-old brushes off suggestions her living situation is anything other than ideal.

Playful: A young Ilzite is seen investigating a watering can at its home in Latvia

'When I considered moving here my mum said: "Are you crazy?"'
'She said: "What will you die out there?", but I told her I didn't care.
'This is the place of my happiest moments. All of those moments are about animals.
'I feel like this is my place in the world,' she added.

Newborn: Ilzite was a tiny newborn cub when it was first discovered by Ms Vitola in the forest

Ilzite the bear is now ten-years-old and has grown so big it lives outside the home, but still regularly accompanies its 'mother' on her walks through the forest.
'Once we both went for a walk along the wild boars enclosure, she was only one year old at the time and was afraid of them,' Ms Vitola said.
'She clung to my legs and started to growl at them.

Pampered pet: Ilzite slept in a cot complete with cuddly toys at Ms Vitola's home in Latvia

'She felt safe because her mum was there. I told her: "You crazy bear, I will be the first to run."'
'I need those moments, the bear kisses and hugs to feel happy and free.
'People can be two faced, but when an animal looks at you he is only himself.
'We can learn a lot from them.'

Flat-out: Ms Vitola originally brought home two bear cubs, but one sadly died

Growing up: Velga's pet cat has some competition for its snack from growing bear Ilzite

Menagerie: Ms Vitola has cared for dozens of animals during her years in the woods, including hedgehogs, elks and, of course, Ilzite the bear

source: dailymail

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The bear-faced cheek! Brave photographer gets up close and personal to shoot fierce animals splashing around in lake

By ANNA EDWARDS

Are you looking at me? The bear rises from the water and gazes at the photographer, who was brave enough to approach them with just a flimsy cage for protection

A photographer has gone to extraordinary lengths to get up close and personal with wild brown bears in the water.
Daredevil Sergey Gorshkov was able to get within inches of the killers with just a small, flimsy looking, open-top cage for protection.
The 46-year-old admitted he took an incredible risk, where one mistake could have had fatal results.
He said: 'I knew that no one had taken a picture of a bear under water and started moving in that direction having a clear idea in my mind.

Daredevil Sergey Gorshkov went nose to snout with his camera so he could get the incredible pictures

'For more than one year I was making plans how to bring my idea to reality.
'I understood that it would be not only difficult but dangerous too.
'I remember asking a shop assistant for a box for my camera to take pictures of bears under water.
'He put his finger to his temple and twisted it as if to say I was the craziest person he might have ever met.
'While working with predators there is a slight boarder between life and death.
'You can meet a bear quiet often and work with it without any problems but one mistake is enough to lead to the fatal results.'

Mr Gorshkov, from Moscow, Russia, spent seven years photographing the animals in Kamchatka, Russia

But his pictures show the enormous predator in an incredible new light.
In one shot one of the animal stands neck-deep in the lake, peering curiously at Mr Gorshkov.
In another the creature appears to have just emerged from the water and gives a menacing look in to the camera lens.
In one a bear even appears to be unaware of Mr Gorshov as it devours a fish nearby.
Mr Gorshkov, from Moscow, Russia, spent seven years photographing the animals in Kamchatka, Russia.

Just say cheese: The 46-year-old admitted he took an incredible risk, where one mistake could have had fatal results

He said people thought he was crazy when he suggested taking pictures of bears under water but he was determined to do it.
'I was so inspired by the idea of taking pictures under water that I decided to take the risk.
'To achieve my dream I spent long hours in the icy water facing with many problems.
'To take a picture under water you need a wide-angle lens and shoot at the distance of a bear's paw.
'The bears I always worked with were posing while I was taking pictures of them but as soon as I got into water they started hunting taking me as prey.
'Excitement does things to your head in these situations.
'You can get very close to a bear, a nose to nose so to say, and there is only one thing in your mind - how not to lose the moment.
'I would not recommend anyone to repeat what I did.'

source: dailymail

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Would you bear-lieve it? Huge grizzly swims across a lake looking for food only to be scared off by two pint-sized guard dogs

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Bear faced cheek: The bear surfaces in Kurile Lake, Russia, after swimming across to the wooden jetty to look for food, but the boat's two guard dogs immediately appear to check out the intruder

This is one huge grizzly intruder, but his plan to hijack a boat and search for food didn't include two very loyal, vociferous guard dogs.
The boat owner's dogs leapt into action to protect the boat after they spotted the brown bear trying to hop on board.
The giant beast had swum across the lake and was trying to get into the vessel to see if any food had been left by the fisherman.

Monster from the deep: The bear rises up out of the water as it finds a shallower part of the lake and looks as though it is about to board the small boat moored at the jetty

But the labrador and akita formed a formidable double team and, without any thought of their own safety, barked at the bear until he swam off.
Photographer Sergey Gorskov, 46, captured the extraordinary scene at a fishing camp on the shore of Kurile Lake, in Kamchatka, Russia.
Gorskov, from Moscow, said: 'This fishing camp is brown bear territory and and dogs live there in the summer to guard territory. Bears like to investigate the boats. They used to be made from rubber but that was changed after bears would pop them with their razor sharp claws.
'The bears are the boss here and there is constant conflict with the guard dogs.'
Russia has the largest brown bear population in the world, and the grizzly is one of the most widespread, well-known and popular animals in the country.

Why the big pause? The bear eyes up the dogs and sees that they mean business before sliding back into the water and swimming away

With more than 100,000 brown bears in existence, Russia has as many brown bears as the rest of the other countries combined.
Five subspecies of brown bear are found throughout Russia, with the European Region north-west of Russia, Kamchatka peninsula and the coastal regions of the Pacific having the highest density of these animals.
The Grizzly bear is not a vicious animal and prefers in the main to stay out of the way of humans, but when an attack occurs it can be lethal, as bears are so huge and their claws so sharp.
While many dogs will instinctively harass, or at least annoy, grizzly bears they come across, the size of this one might have put off many. But it looks as though these two have no fear at all.

source: dailymail

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