The Art Of Bears
A report out today explains that the Malaysian military is under - we are not making this up - an attack by "Sun Bears". Put aside the fact that almost nobody in the world could identify a sun bear if one tripped over one in one's living room, this is a disturbing story. Because the press - as usual - gets it completely wrong.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's military has a new enemy: sun bears, who are attacking the camps in search of food, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
At night soldiers at a camp in northern Malaysia keep a vigil for the "intruders", who driven from their habitats, come in groups and feast on rice, sugar, biscuits and bread, the New Sunday Times said.
"I have been stationed here for more than a year and I have seen bears gobbling up our food," the report quoted an unnamed soldier as saying. "But they pose no harm and run away when we come near them."
Sun bears, who live in the rain forests of Southeast Asia, are getting displaced from their habitat because of logging.
A wildlife official said the animals were also tempted by the easy availability of food at the camps. "They may have been accustomed to this kind of practice at the camp as it is easy for them to find food there," said S. K. Sharma, chief executive office of Wild Life Fund Malaysia.
The media continues to spin stories in such a way as to make animals figures of sympathy. We here at Blue Crab Boulevard, of course, know better. The "sun bears" are not raiding the army camps for food. They are raiding them for other purposes entirely. They are acting on the orders of the overlords of the Animal Uprising™. They are not after food, we can assure you. These are not "sun bears," these are "Sun Tzu bears" In fact, we have photographic evidence!
By Jim in Phoenix, Monday, 16 April , 2007 @ 1:05 am
Boo Boo, I’m tired of the tourists not sharing their pic a nic baskets. So I’m gonna take them.