Bear

Welcome to the National Zoo, Bear.

Picture: Me at my new home

__DIARY __ 1) First days:

- My Story

- What do I do?
 * To be completely honest, everything happened so quickly that I do not know what to believe. One minute I am walking through Hayden Valley like I do every day and the next minute, I am fooled into a trap. So this is what happened -- In the distance, I saw a huge pile of berries and pine nuts, and I unwisely seized the chance to feast on it. I should have known that was deception! They tied me down before I could escape; that is all I can remember because I blacked out instantly afterwards. It turns out my final destination would be Northeast Washington D.C. This "master" plan came form 3 individuals: Samuel Langley, William Temple Hornaday, and Frederick Law Olmsted; why would they do this to me?

 ﻿ Picture: Compaign created by the United States Forest Service   - What do I see?
 * At first, all eyes were glued on us bears. We would just be going around minding our business, while the tourists would just stare at us. I personally do not find our lives intersting at all, and I honestly don't know why they would find enjoyment in looking at us
 * Finally, to relieve some of the attention: Smokey Bear, the guardian of our forests, arrived to our zoo.He stole the spotlight and is one of the most famous advertising symbols of forest fire prevention in the world (protected by Federal Law). Well at least now I can have some privacy.

 Picture: General Organization of Smithsonian Zoo (I am located at the top right corner)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I look around, I see the layout that Frederick Law Olmsted planned out. In 1892, the first permanent building was completed, and it really stood out to me. I can see it from miles away, and it is called the main animal house, also known as the "Lion House".

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">- How do I feel?

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pictures: Before (Yellowstone) and After (zoo enclosure)--Look how different they are!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Being separated from my spacious home in Yellowstone, I feel extremely uncomfortable being fenced in a restricted area with other unfriendly bears. The zoo’s “great” mission is to provide leadership in animal care, science, education, and sustainability, but these humans do not seem to understand the difficult situation they put us in.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Human interactions

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Picture: William Temple Hornaday
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">William Temple Hornaday manages everything around the zoo seeing that he was given the position as superintendant; I always see him patrolling the area and ordering people around so that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Animal interactions

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Picture: Dunk the Elephant
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ In general:** As I look around, I see numerous exotic species of animals from around the world. The representatives of the Smithsonian Zoo claim that we, the animals, are now in a refuge and that they were saving our rapidly vanishing population in North America as well as many other locations. Regardless, everybody else seemed to be as scared and angry about living in this unusual environment as I was. At least I am not alone.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most foreign animals I've seen around here are the two male Indian elephants; I have come across such a big and unique looking creature in my life. Of all its specialized features, the muscular trunk is perhaps the most extraordinary to me. They use their trunks as a nose, hand, extra foot, and almost anything you can think of; Wow, what a wise animal!
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">In 1894, I saw a familiar face. Later, I was informed that this animal was the first beaver that arrived from Yellowstone National Park. That's why I remember seeing him in "Missouri Valley," also known as "Beaver Valley."

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Picture: Friend from Yellowstone

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**In my area:** In a way, life is made easier in the sense that I am given food thus I do not have to go out hunting. Back in Yellowstone at times, I would have to skip meals due to my failure of finding food in most valleys and rivers. On the other hand, a new challenge arises for me at the zoo. On top of being suddenly forced to live and cooperate with unfamiliar bears, I now have to compete to obtain a good portion of the food. Each grizzly is trying to title himself or herself as superior, which is consequently creating much tension in the air.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Picture: Quarreling with other bears

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