Buzz...a day in the life of polar bears

If you're a regular reader of Books, Boys, Buzz, you'll know that I have a massive soft spot, not only for little animals, but polar bears. They're probably my totem animal, I don't know. But I just adore them.

You might remember last year when I introduced Knut to the readers. Knut was rejected by his mother in December of 2006 and had to be hand-fed by a keeper at the Berlin Zoo. He was a major sensation and a great spokesbear for the fight against global warming. The Berlin Zoo made a ton of money off of him that has gone back into his habitat, hiring more scientists and staff to care for the animals, and educating the public about the dangers to the majestic polar bears when our planet is slowing weeping for help.

Here is Knut as a little fellow...



And here he is on his first birthday in December 2007...



This is him getting a gander at a new book about his journey...



And he's still a star... click here to see a video of him playing to the crowd.

Well, make a little room, Knut, because there are even more polar bear cub celebrities out there.

My favorite that I've been watching is the precious little girl, Flocke, which is German for "snowflake." Sadly, Flocke's mom, Vera didn't really know what to do with her little baby. (It's thought that she may have possibly eaten her other cub.) She brought Flocke out of her cave wicked early and showed signs of not being able to handle her upbringing. So, the Nuremberg Zoo stepped in and removed Flocke from her mother. She's been hand-fed and brought up by a staff of keepers.



Just recently, the little darling made her debut to the German press. Don't you just want to put her in your pocket and take her home with you?



But wait...Flocke's not the only cele-bear-ty these days. There's also Stuttgart's newest arrival, Wilbaer. The good news about Wilbear, is that his mother, Corinna, is taking wonderful care of him and watching out after the furry little tyke. He, too, recently made his debut to the press and the zoo, in turn, is profiting from his popularity.

Here they are meeting the press...



Who is proud of their little boy?!...



And finally, more stars in Europe are the twin boy polar bear cubs at the Vienna Zoo. Their mother brought them from their cave not long ago and the two of them have been frollicking, playing, and entertaining the Vienna crowd ever since.

Aren't they adorable?...



Olinka's such a good mom!...



A day in the life for these amazing animals in captivity is filled with running and playing, getting bathed and rubbed by either the keeper or their mother. They also learn to swim at a very early age and they just love the water. The cubs are fed formula to mimic what they'd get from their mother, but they also get a good amount of fresh (not live) fish. These little bundles have amazing, realistic habitats that allow them to live their lives as "normal" as possible.

Many people might not approve of the man-raising of these animals, but to me, it means the world to me that there are people who will spend their time and career to try and save the species from extinction. And they're so adorable.

Have you ever seen a polar bear in the zoo? What was it like? And who's the cutest of all the cele-bear-ties? Me...I'm still partial to my little Knut, even though our little baby's all growds up. (And what movie is THAT from? LOL!)

REMINDER: The first two books in the SORORITY 101 series will be out in FIVE DAYS!!!!! As you know, I'm writing these books under the name "Kate Harmon." I hope everyone will get a copy of each of them!!!



Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (May 1, 2008, Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (May 1, 2008, Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS SERIES (May 1, 2009, Houghton Mifflin)