The Babyhood of Wild Beasts/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII
baby bears
DON'T you think it's a wonderful fact that our great shaggy-coated Bears are born almost as hairless and naked as a new-born human infant? And this great, hulking beast weighs at birth about three-quarters of a pound!
Here are the dimensions of a baby Russian brown Bear taken when he was two days old: Length, head and body, 9¾ inches; tail, ½ inch; height, 5 inches; hind foot, 1⅛ inches by ⅞ of an inch; weight, 15 ounces. (Hornaday.)
This cub was born January 17th, which is about the time baby Bears are generally born.
There are two cubs in each litter.
At an early age a soft, downy covering appears which in due time develops into a massive shaggy coat. A new-born Bear looks like a little pink-skinned pig.
Little Bears are born in the base of hollow trees, in deep ravines, and under big rocks. They live on the ground and after they are weaned eat everything from an antelope steak to a grasshopper. They are exceedingly fond of honey, berries, frogs, fish, snakes, insect larvae, and green vegetables.
The chief article of diet of Alaskan Bears is salmon. While camping in Alaska one summer, I chanced to surprise an old female with her two cubs sitting on the river bank fishing. She hooked the salmon deftly with her long, sharp claws as they swam up the river to spawn. She piled up her freshly caught salmon in the same manner a country boy piles up cordwood. She made a neat job of it while the cubs wrestled in the sunshine nearby.
Bear cubs are about the most merry hearted youngsters I know of. I think they are even more playful than monkeys and far more charming to look at.
An Alaskan Indian guide presented me with two little black bear cubs he had captured while hunting. They were about three months old and as fat as butter balls. They were as grey as mice but as they grew older these grey coats grew darker and darker until they were jet black like their parents. The little fellows were contented and grew very rapidly. I had a nice light pen built for them, where they got plenty of sunshine and fresh air. The little chaps thrived and waxed strong under the cheerful conditions. Bears are very susceptible to their environment. If confined in gloomy places, they become dull and depressed. I got a young timber wolf and a mongrel dog to keep the little bears company.
I named my bears Tom and Jerry.
There were exciting times in the pen where the four of them lived. One of their favourite games was footrace. Bears do not attain their full growth until seven years of age. My cubs were now about five months and so full of mischief I began to worry about what I was going to do with them when they were full grown.
I think they chose sides in the footraces, for the two bears never chased each other, but each of the bears would chase the wolf and the dog. Then the wolf and the dog would turn about and race madly after the bears. This game was very amusing and afforded pleasure for all concerned until the bears were about eight months old.
Jerry was fast becoming a very good boxer and was anxious to show his skill whenever he could invent the slightest excuse for doing so.
One fine day Tad, the wolf, and Jerry were having a race. Tad gave chase the first round; then it was Jerry's turn to be the pursuer. The first lap he kept several paces behind. On the second lap he suddenly leaped forward with a bound and with a powerful swing of his big, hairy paw caught Tad fairly on the side of the rump. Tad described an arc while madly turning somersaults in the air and landed with a sickening thud outside the pen. After a few minutes of apparent lifelessness, he leaped to his feet and, with wild bounds, ran yelping down the trail and disappeared in the woods. It was several days before he approached the house, looking scared and half starved. He crept with great caution and, skulking around the bear pen, crawled up to the door, whining dismally. Tad made his home in the kitchen after that.
In the Temperate and Frigid Zones Bears hibernate (or fall into a deep sleep). This is really a remarkable means Nature has taken to protect her children. Bears cannot procure sufficient food after the snow falls, so Nature has given them the means of storing up great quantities of fat under their skins to nourish them through the long, cold winter. Bears crawl into deep holes during this period, go into a deep sleep, and are nourished by their fat.
Tropical bears do not hibernate. The first of May old Bruin begins shedding his coat. By August 1st he has finished his shedding process and appears clad in a brand new suit. He is a very handsome fellow now.
The polar bear does not change the colour of his coat. He is quite content with his snow-white jacket, which is useful as well as beautiful. Also, it is a protection in his white home among the snow and ice.
Although old Mr. Bruin is one of the big fellows in the animal world, he suffers many privations from naughty little pests, hunters and trappers. Often big Bears are caught red-handed by angry bumble bees stealing wild honey from their hives. They sting him in the eyes and on his sensitive nose, and blind him. Then the poor old chap wanders around in great pain, unable to procure food or water in this helpless condition, and finally dies from starvation. The trapper is always seeking him for his valuable fur, and poor old Bruin has to ever be on the alert to protect his much-sought-after life.
We have fourteen kinds of bears in the world. Four of them come from North America.
Here are the four species from North America:
1. Polar bear, of the far North. White. Very large.
2. Big brown bears of Alaska. Light brown. Very large.
3. Grizzly bears. Mexico to Alaska. Grey or brown. Medium or very large.
4. Black bears. North America generally, from Mexico to Alaska. Medium and large. The black bear is well adapted to tree climbing. (Hornaday.)
Bears are among the most interesting creatures of our animal world. They are loving and gentle, but so full of mischief it is difficult to make good pets of them.