Friendly Wild Bear That Went Viral After Posing For Selfies With Hikers in Mexico to be Trapped, Activists Sign Petition Against Its Relocation
The bear did not attack anyone or caused any harm but officials do not want to take a risk. Mexico's authorities have now put up non-lethal traps for the animals so it can be caught and relocated. But this move is facing opposition from activists.
A week ago, a video of a wild bear acting friendly with a group of hikers in Mexico's Chipinque Ecological Park in San Pedro went viral. The bear was seen posing for selfies with the girls getting closer to one of them. The incident was fascinating to look at but also scary. Thankfully, the bear did not attack anyone or caused any harm but officials do not want to take a risk. Mexico's authorities have now put up non-lethal traps for the animals so it can be caught and relocated. But this move is facing opposition from activists who said that relocating it or putting in a zoo is not an appropriate action.
The incident went viral last week. A group of three hikers were clicking pictures when a bear posed with them. It was a wild black bear that kept a paw on one of the girls while clicking a picture and the other one just kept its back to the bear all along. It also sniffed them. The video was shared on Twitter and it went crazy viral, with some mixed reactions. While this bear did not attack, authorities are setting up traps for its relocation. These Penguins in Antarctica Taking Selfie on Camera Reminds us of Monkey Who Did The Same.
Here's The Video In Case You Haven't Seen It:
Mexico's office for environmental protection has now set up traps to catch this bear. They say the animal was apparently looking for food. But animal activists argue that shifting was not a solution. They pointed out that the hikers seen in the video were not even wearing masks. Some also suggested that the hikers were the problem, not the bear. An online petition at Change.org has gotten over 135,000 signatures against relocating the bear outside the park or to a zoo."The bear is in its habitat, we are asking it be located in the same area, and not spend its life in a zoo," the petition says. The environmental protection office said that there are no plans to shift it to a zoo but it would be relocated.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2020 11:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).