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Ultimate Bear Park Coming to Switzerland

August 19, 2008 at 1:08 PM | 0 Comments

Cute animal alert! The city of Bern plans to open the BearPark by fall of 2009, and it will be stocked with critters of the vivacious--not stuffed--variety.

The attraction will be an expansion of the existing Bear Pit, where Pedro and Tana, two brown bears, currently live. The new park will offer more terrain for the animals including three caves and a swimming pool. It will also give the bears a bit more privacy than they currently enjoy.

Though the new park will be quite posh, it'll still be free to check in on Pedro and Tana, as bears are a part of Bern's cultural heritage: Legend has it that the city takes its name from the first animal killed when the area was settled in the 12th century.

Related Stories:
· Coming Soon: A New Swiss Park for Bears [BT]
· Bruno the Bear Is Now Properly Stuffed [Jaunted]
· Bears coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Pedro and Tana: jurvetson]

Bear Bites Camper at Yellowstone

July 18, 2008 at 11:15 AM | 3 Comments

Stephen Colbert was right! Two campgrounds near Yellowstone National Park have been closed at the height of tourist season after a bear attacked a camper Thursday morning.

The bear, believed to be a grizzly, entered a tent at the Soda Butte campground at the park's northeastern end and bit and scratched a man. It is not known whether he was camping alone or how old he was, but it appeared his food was stored correctly (a common draw to hungry animals in and near the park).

The National Park Service said the bear returned to the scene of the crime later on Thursday, proving that bears are not actually that smart.

Related Stories:
· Grizzly Crawls into Bed with Montana Camper [Great Falls Tribune]
· Scary Alaska Travel: Bear Mauls Teenage Girl [Jaunted]
· When Animals Attack coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tut99]

Scary Alaska Travel: Bear Mauls Teenage Girl

July 1, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Although Anchorage is a somewhat bustling city of 300,000 people, skyscrapers, great nightlife and one of the best bars in America (Chilkoot Charlie's), it still remains on the edge of some truly wild territory filled with animals much larger, tootheir and hungrier than humans.

This fact was sadly reiterated on Saturday night when a teenage girl riding in an all-night bike race was mauled by a bear who was foraging near the course in Far North Bicentennial Park. The young girl was outfitted with bear bells and two lights so as not to scare any wildlife, but a state biologist says that gusty winds on the night of the race and the rush of the creek might have made it difficult for the bear to hear her approach. That, he said, might've spooked the animal and caused the attack.

Two weekends prior, a bear charged at a pair of runners in the same area--though that's not stopping Alaskans from getting out to enjoy nature. Says one local:

It's not going to stop me from going out of the house and enjoying the short summer. But I'm thinking we should buy some bear spray.

Related Stories:
· Terror on the Trail: Bear Attacks Teen [Anchorage DN]
· Bears coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kradlum]

Romanian Restaurant Needs a Bear Menu

June 16, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

It's definitely bear season in the northern hemisphere. Over at HotelChatter they've been spotting bears taking dips in hotel swimming pools in Orlando and Colorado. But in Romania, bears are going beyond cooling off in the pool.

In Sinaia, a whole family of bears recently ambled into a restaurant and, well, sat down at the tables. When they didn't get any service--everyone fled the restaurant--the brown bear and two cubs found the kitchen and ate their fill.

Police and rangers were called out, but the bears had gone before they arrived. They didn't even leave a tip.

Related Stories:
· Bears Sit at Restaurant Table [Ananova]
· Hotel Bears Might Be the Next Hot Trend [HC]
· Romania Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hasan_e_beton]

Summer Vacations with an Edge: Even More Bear Watching

May 29, 2008 at 4:30 PM | 0 Comments

So checking out the wildlife at your local ski resort doesn't do it for you? That's where Great Bear Tours comes in.

The swanky outfit has its own floating wind-and-solar-powered lodge, which you can only reach via seaplane. On arrival, you'll be whisked away to your room--surprisingly complete with private bath. Depending on how much you want to see and how much you have to spend, you can stay for up to seven nights.

Each day you'll head out in a small group with a wildlife expert. You'll check out estuaries by kayak and inlets by boat, all in search of Yogi and friends. Best of all, when you return each night you'll be pampered with fine food and wine--no "pick-a-nick" basket meals here.

You have to get in touch for pricing info so you can bet your trip won't be cheap. But isn't it worth paying those professionals a little extra when wild animals are within striking distance? Better start listing your teddy bears on eBay now to fund your adventure.

Related Stories:
· Great Bear Tours [Official Site]
· Summer Vacations with an Edge coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: chascar]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Safely Seeing Bears

May 28, 2008 at 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

We love that scene in "The Great Outdoors" when John Candy takes the kids to the dump to watch the bears feed off garbage. Things start getting a little out hand after the bears mount the hood of their car, remember? Funny, sure, but it's not necessarily the way we'd go about bear watching. Luckily the folks at Whistler/Blackcomb resort have come up with a better way to do some wildlife spotting.

Bear expert Michael Allen has been studying the animals in British Columbia for the last 15 years. His work with bears has been internationally recognized, and he's the host of the BBC's Natural World program "In the Company of Bears." For $190, Mike will take you out at sunset--in a 4x4 and on foot--to see bears in their natural habitat without having to worry about being disemboweled or otherwise maimed.

You'll drive and walk through old growth Hemlock forests and high-alpine meadows to see bear dens, bear daybeds and--if you're lucky--a mother and cub playing together. Something this precious is usually only reserved for the fronts of Hallmark sympathy cards, so steel your nerves to fend off the tears.

Related Stories:
· Whistler Bear Viewing tours [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kradlum]

Bruno the Bear Is Now Properly Stuffed

March 31, 2008 at 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

We've been trying to let poor ol' Bruno the Bear rest in peace since he was killed in Bavaria after famously being the first wild bear to enter Germany since 1836.

But we just have to mention that Bruno the Bear has finally become a permanent part of the tourist landscape in Germany. As promised, a well-stuffed Bruno is now on display in the Museum of Man and Nature inside the Nymphenburg Palace near Munich. The realistic-looking diorama opened last Thursday and the nice thing is you can get into the museum for just €2.50 ($4).

And while we're pleased that Bruno can take a rest now, we don't want you to forget that if you're traveling through western Austria this summer, you might catch some of the location shoot for the movie based on Bruno's story. If you think we're champing at the bit to visit Bruno in the museum, just imagine how much we're dying to see this film.

Related Stories:
· Famous Stuffed Bear Goes on Display [Spiegel]
· The Belated Return of Bruno the Bear [Jaunted]
· We Can't Believe the Bear is Loose [Jaunted]

[Photo: Spiegel]

We Can't Believe The Bear is Loose

December 17, 2007 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

We can't explain our addiction to the Bruno the Bear story last summer, when brown bear Bruno led a media circus through southern Germany before he was shot dead. He's now ready to stand proud in a Munich museum.

The weird thing is that we are obviously not alone with our Bruno-mania. It was just announced that Austrian film company Cine Tirol have signed on well-known German-speaking writers, directors and even actors for the film version of Bruno's escapades, tentatively titled The Bear is Loose.

The movie's due to be filmed in summer 2008 in Tyrol, in western Austria. We promise to bring you the ultimate in movie set travel through the beautiful hills of Tyrol when Bruno's on set. But right now we're just wondering how on earth they're going to make a movie-length story out of all this.

Related Stories:
· Life of Dead Bear Bruno Will Become Movie [Expatica]
· The Belated Return of Bruno the Bear [Jaunted]
· Austria Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Francois Schnell]

The Belated Return of Bruno the Bear

November 28, 2007 at 9:35 AM | 2 Comments

We haven't heard much of Germany's ill-fated-yet-lovable Bruno the Bear recently, but of course, the Germans can't let sleeping bears lie. Bruno's hit the headlines again, even though he's long dead.

(In case you missed it, Bruno terrorized locals and tourists alike last year when he escaped out of the Italian alps and went on a rampage in Bavaria, eating sheep and chickens before an anonymous hunter shot him.)

Now Bruno's stuffed body has found a home. He's going to be displayed at the Man and Nature Museum in the Nymphenburg Palace in Bavaria, a popular summer attraction. If you're passing through, expect to find Bruno there--in a "scientifically accurate context", no less--from spring 2008. Long live Bruno!

Related Stories:
· Itinerant Bear Gets Stuffed and Displayed in Munich [Deutsche Welle]
· Bruno the Bear Remembered [Jaunted]
· Bavaria Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Not a Photo of Bruno: Hop-Frog]

Beware of Bears in Black Forest

August 1, 2007 at 9:10 AM | 0 Comments

A hiker in the Black Forest raised the alarm on bears this weekend, and police started looking for the bear immediately, fearing another crazy Bruno the Bear saga. Last summer, Germans were divided over the kill-or-don't-kill question when Bruno strolled uncaught through the Bavarian forest.

But this spotting turned out to be a false alarm. When police came across the bear, they noticed that it wasn't moving much: because it was a life size replica bear positioned in the forest (with permission) as target practice for the local archery club. But you should still beware of bears in Germany: where there's bears, there's weird publicity.

Related Stories:
· German Police Chase Stuffed Bear [Spiegel]
· Bruno the Bear coverage [Jaunted]
· Germany Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Crafty Beaver]