deliberately letting polar bear cubs starve

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:14 am

Wow that zoo director is a piece of work.

Let the mothers practice? Are they going to starve the next batch of cubs for her to "practice" on too?

In the wild and even in domestic animals like dogs and cats, if something is wrong with a baby, the mother will kill it. I accept that as part of nature but in the wild- not in a bogus controlled habitat like a zoo. And there may be nothing wrong with those cubs anyway. We had a dog who gave birth to 11 pups (back in our pre-spaying days) and she refused to nurse any of them. My mom wasn't going to bottle feed 11 pups so she stuck a few on our mother dog and let them nurse and after that Kristi was a great mother. She just for some reason apparently didn't know what to do. I don't know why nature would allow that but it did. Maybe that's what's wrong with Mother Bear?

I respect animal activists and am one but in this case, I think they have it wrong. Animal activism should be like the Hippocratic Oath: "first do no harm." Letting these cubs stave to death when you can do something about it is fearful wrong. They're born in a ZOO, there's no sense pretending natural law rules in a situation like that. Stupid idiots!!

Imladris · Post by **Imladris** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:38 am

To me it's simple, what's the point in the zoo having animals if they don't look after them or intervene when they are at risk.

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:39 am

Broke my heart that story it really did when I saw it on the tele.............this just cant happen and I pray that it wont.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:16 am

I just made a petition for the polar cubs.

Please sign and please ask others to sign as well. It will run until Jan. 31 but the little guys could be dead by then so it's primo that we get as close to 1000 (or more!) signatures as soon as humanly possible.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/feed-the-bears

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:48 am

Thankyou Jimbo for bringing such a travesty to our attention! I find it shocking and horrifying that someone in such a position can act in such a nefarious manner! One comment from the mail's website really struck me:

Reminds me a bit of Auschwitz. How can we be expected to forgive and forget, when the Germans are still inflicting suffering on this scale? Shame on you, I say.

- Barry Chadwick, Plymouth, UK

Well done Terri for your petition. I have signed it and hope you will post it to Helmut Mägdefrau, the deputy director of Nuremburg Zoo. Perhaps an outcry from around the world will be loud enough for him to hear and realise how outrageous his suggestion is!

The man is obviously suffering from POLAR disorder! :-5 :-5 :-5

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:15 am

Thank you for signing, Rapunzel!

And thank you to Jimbo for alerting us to it.

I will be sending the signed petition to Magdefrau. Hopefully he'll get his head out of his butt before then though.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:30 pm

I'm more than a little sceptic about this, I just find it so incredible that anybody could be so callous!

Could it be a publicity stunt?

suzycreamcheese · Post by **suzycreamcheese** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:36 pm

I dont think theyre going out of their way to make polar bears starve, just saying that they should leave the mothers be and let nature take its course IF they are rejected.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7174829.stm

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:03 pm

RedGlitter;754691 wrote: I just made a petition for the polar cubs.

Please sign and please ask others to sign as well. It will run until Jan. 31 but the little guys could be dead by then so it's primo that we get as close to 1000 (or more!) signatures as soon as humanly possible.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/feed-the-bears

Done.

The animal rights protesters were wrong the first time round and the zoo are wrong now.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:13 pm

I signed. I would like to see the petition itself, and read other comments

(if any) is there a way to do that Red?

And I'll certainly post a link on other sites.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:14 pm

fuzzy butt;754887 wrote: I wonder why they are rejecting the cubs?

It's true some new young and/or first time mothers do it "in nature"

but I'd bet the surroundings for the mom are too stressful.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:55 pm

I looked again, and saw how to view the whole petition. Anybody

else wants to, there's a button upper left hand side. (Under the

pic of the polar bear cub)

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:02 pm

valerie;754967 wrote: I looked again, and saw how to view the whole petition. Anybody

else wants to, there's a button upper left hand side. (Under the

pic of the polar bear cub)

Thanks Val. And if anybody missed the letter that will be accompanying the petition, this is it:

Target:

Helmut Mägdefrau, deputy director, Nuremburg Zoo

Sponsored by:

Terri Williams, director, All Paws Inc.

Herr Magdefrau,

We are aware of your intentions to refuse food to three to six polar bear cubs in your care. We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision. A zoo's responsibility is to harbor its inhabitants in comfort and safety. By denying food to these polar cubs your zoo is practicing animal abuse instead of good stewardship.

We ask that you cease this poor decision and provide adequate food to the polar bear cubs if their mothers refuse to nurse them.

Thank you for your time.

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:29 pm

Thank you Jimbo and Terri...Well done!!! I signed the petition.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:10 am

Thank you Kathy Ellen.

So far we have nine signatures. We'd better really move this thing around fast if we hope to get more. I'm passing it around Care2.com. Facebook and my friends and family.

Jimbo, you might want to check the signatures and see if you're there..there were some Anonymous signers but I couldn't tell if one was you or not.

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:44 am

Let nature take its course they say..............what crap....there in a zoo fgs not in the wild where nature REALLY would take its course.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:39 pm

****BUMP****:(

(((((Come on guys, Please sign if you havent already.)))))

drumbunny1 · Post by **drumbunny1** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:08 pm

No No No No NO!!! I really just don't understand Animal Rights Activists! I mean, I consider myself one to a certain extent...I hold animal life very high...but letting these baby polar bears die is just wrong! I personally think we as humans owe a lot to the animals on this earth....we've taken so much from them, and they really have given a lot to us. So why not try to make it up and help them as much as possible...it our responsibility to take care of those animals!

drumbunny1 · Post by **drumbunny1** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:25 pm

Hey Red, how do you forward this petition to other people, I just can't find a link to forward it to my friends and family anywhere!

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:18 pm

Bunny, just send them this link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/feed-the-bears and it should take them to the petition. They can click to read the whole petition and the accompanying letter.

ETA: Right now at 2:18 pm my time, the site appears to be overloaded and won't go to the petition. I'll check back later to see if it's working.

theia · Post by **theia** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:21 pm

RedGlitter;755504 wrote: Bunny, just send them this link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/feed-the-bears and it should take them to the petition. They can click to read the whole petition and the accompanying letter.

I just signed but then the site sort of faded from view. I came out of it and went back in but my name isn't there...yet?

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:34 pm

I think I see you on there Theia.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:36 pm

By the way it looks like people will have to click where it says "Not Terri? Log Out" in order to sign. I don't know how to fix this. It's working though, we have 14 signatures.

theia · Post by **theia** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:55 pm

RedGlitter;755518 wrote: I think I see you on there Theia.

No, not there yet, Red, just checked...I'll try later

drumbunny1 · Post by **drumbunny1** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:56 pm

Hey I was just watching a video on Yahoo! News and it was saying that one of the polar bears WILL be raised by hand! Woo Hoo!!!

moonpie · Post by **moonpie** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:40 pm

This is totally crap by the zoo. What the hell are they there for? I have signed the petition, and by the grace of God there are people like Teri to try and take them to task on this. Good for you Teri.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:08 pm

I signed it I think. I can't believe they would starve the Cub. They are in Zoo's for our protection and care feed the Cub now.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:20 pm

drumbunny1;755689 wrote: Hey I was just watching a video on Yahoo! News and it was saying that one of the polar bears WILL be raised by hand! Woo Hoo!!!

That's good news! Only one? Perhaps the other ones are eating?? We hope??

moonpie;755699 wrote: This is totally crap by the zoo. What the hell are they there for? I have signed the petition, and by the grace of God there are people like Teri to try and take them to task on this. Good for you Teri.

Aw thanks Moonpie, but if it wasn't for Jimbo posting about it, I maybe wouldn't have even known.

I thank you all who have signed!

suzycreamcheese · Post by **suzycreamcheese** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:16 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7178127.stm

A German zoo has agreed to hand rear a polar bear cub because of fears that its mother might harm it.

The decision came after the mother bear, Vera, was filmed carrying her cub in her jaws around her enclosure at Nuremberg Zoo.

It also came amid fears that another polar bear at the zoo, Vilma, has eaten her two newborn cubs.

Zookeepers had initially decided not to disturb Vera and Vilma's cubs, even if the mothers rejected them.

But they announced on Tuesday that they would begin bottle-feeding Vera's cub.

"The safety of the young animal is the first priority," said deputy zoo director Helmut Maegdefrau.

The zoo has said it wants to avoid any repetition of "Knut mania", a popular craze triggered by a hand-reared bear cub at Berlin Zoo last year.

Blog

Knut was rejected by his mother, but Berlin Zoo decided to hand rear him.

Since then Knut has become a worldwide celebrity, with a blog and TV show dedicated to him.

But Nuremberg Zoo has faced criticism for failing to intervene to help Vilma's cubs.

The case has triggered fresh debate about whether cubs rejected by their mothers should be saved or whether nature should be allowed to run its course.

Zoo director Dag Encke said that Vilma's cubs - believed to be a pair - may have been ill and that in such cases polar bears often eat their young.

:)

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:28 pm

Thank you, SCC.

I finally found a video on the remaining little furry guy...sorry it's on the Copenhagen masturbation page

but the film is on the right hand side.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23 ... 09,00.html

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:36 pm

Thank you to Everyone who signed the petition but i am taking it down since they are now feeding the polar cub.

Thank you for signing it and Jimbo thank you for alerting us all to this. Good job!! :-6

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:31 am

[quote=jimbo;754663]there is a zoo in Germany that is letting polar bear cubs starve to death

the mother has rejected them ,this happened before and the zoo fed the cub and kept it alive

but animal rights protesters kicked off and said the zoo should not of interfered with nature ... so now they are letting these other cubs starve ... and now of course animal rights protesters are kicking off saying that is wrong too

i personally think they should not let these cubs die

what are your thoughts people

sorry about the depressing threads today guys

Its ok. Im in my "dark period"

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:20 pm

Cub

:-4:-4