Monday, March 4, 2013

Polar Yin Yang

I spent some time in Polar Land on my recent visit to Harbin, and the majority of that time watching this particularly fascinating polar bear. He spent the entire time I was watching - about 30 minutes - swimming the same lap circuit, back and forth, 10 meters each way. His friend, also equally adorable, did not catch my attention as mush so since he chose to spend the same time sleeping. As I observed the bears, I had to wonder at how much their captivity influenced their behavior. 

Bear 1: Was it his anger at captivity or his joy for life that moved him to a constant swimming motion?
Bear 2: Was his slumber guided by his sadness at being in a cage or his acceptance to be calm in life?

And a question to readers: if, heaven forbid, you should one day find yourself in a cage, surrounded by people who holler and take pictures throughout the day, which bear would you be?

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