Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
October 2007. It was late at night in a forest in Pennsylvania, the United States. The camp was quiet. A fourteen year old boy was sleeping in his tent. The boy’s name was Chris Malasics. Suddenly, he heard the sound of his tent tearing. What was it? It was a large hairy animal, a bear. Its sharp white teeth were shining in the moonlight. Chris saw the bear standing up on its back legs. It was trying to tear his tent down.
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we talk about bears. We tell the reasons why bear populations are being destroyed. We look at why people are so afraid of them. And we explore ways for bears and humans to live together in peace. But first we tell more of Chris Malasics’ story.
Voice 1
Chris Malasics was not camping alone. He was with a group of boys and camp leaders. But the bear went to Chris’ tent. He was very frightened when he saw it. Then he remembered his leaders’ earlier advice. They had told him what to do in case of a bear attack. So he moved his body into the shape of a ball. And he played dead. He hoped the bear would leave him alone. But this did not happen. Chris felt a sharp pain in his leg. The bear started throwing him around.
The leaders heard the bear’s sounds. They started to make loud noises by hitting metal pans together. And one leader ran to the group’s bus. He turned the lights of the bus on and off. He kept doing this. And he kept making noises until the bear went away. The leader ran to see if Chris was all right. He took the boy to hospital. Chris only had a few minor injuries. He was happy that he had survived a bear attack. He even said he would go camping again!
Voice 2
Bear attacks cause the public to be frightened of bears. Many people believe that bears are fierce creatures waiting to hurt them. But animal experts say the truth is very different. Bears do not look for people to attack. In fact, they usually try to avoid people.
Voice 1
A bear may attack people if it believes it is in danger. Or it may attack if it wants to protect its territory. Female bears with their young can be particularly fierce. And old or wounded bears can be dangerous. It is harder for them to find food.
Voice 2
But people and bears mostly come into conflict when bears are surprised by people. For example, a bear may meet a person while it is searching for food. This is what happened when the bear attacked Chris. Other campers have had similar experiences.
Voice 1
There are rules that can help campers avoid attacks. Experts suggest that campers put their food, food waste, cooking and cleaning materials up a tree or on a stick called a bear pole. The bear pole should be four metres high or taller. Then the camp and tents should be a safe distance from the bear pole. Often people make the mistake of taking a little food into their tent with them. The bears can smell the food. And the smell excites them.
Voice 2
Bears live in many parts of the world - in Asia, North and South America and Europe. There are many different kinds of bears. But all bear populations are greatly decreasing. For thousands of years growing human populations have taken over land where wild animals live. So bears’ natural feeding ground has greatly decreased. In much of Western Europe, bears have almost completely died out. In other parts of the world such as Alaska and Russia, there are large numbers of bears. However, humans living there are continuing to occupy more territory. As bears look for food, they meet more and more humans.
Voice 1
Bears often cause problems for farmers. Bears may damage crops and property. They particularly like berries and roots. Sometimes they attack farm animals. So many farmers see bears as dangerous creatures that need to be killed.
Voice 2
However there are other solutions for farmers. They do not need to kill bears. They can protect their crops and animals with electric fences. Electric fences shock bears - but they do not hurt them. Then bears quickly learn to avoid the areas where the fences are.
Voice 1
Electric fences were invented in the 1930s. In the past they were difficult to work with. But all the time they are being improved. And they have helped many farmers. However some farmers cannot pay the high cost for the fences.
Voice 2
There are other things farmers can do. They can put their animals in covered shelters at night. Or they can make sure that humans are there to protect the animals at all times. Bears do not usually come near farm animals if humans are nearby.
Voice 1
Other people are not afraid of bears. They see bears as a way to make money. In China, people want the dark liquid bile from one of the bear’s organs - its gallbladder. They remove the bile from the gallbladder in a process that is often painful. Many bears even die from it. The bile is used in Chinese traditional medicines. The medicines are for pain, sicknesses, and diseases including cancer. People will pay a lot of money for bear bile. They even call bear bile liquid gold.
Voice 2
It is illegal to kill wild bears in China. But it is not illegal to raise bears on bear farms for their bile. Often these bears are treated very badly. And animal experts say that many bear farmers capture wild bears too. The bile from wild bears is more valuable.
Voice 1
Other people do not kill bears for money. They kill them for sport. In countries such as Canada, the United States and Russia, it is legal for hunters to kill bears. They say bear populations are large enough to support hunting. And governments permit limited numbers of bears to be killed. But many people want bear hunting to stop completely. They do not believe hunters should be permitted to hunt bears at all.
Voice 2
Governments have the power to stop bear farming and hunting. They can work together to stop people from selling bear products on the international market. They can help to educate people on the value of having bears around in the years to come. But until governments get serious about protecting them, bears will continue to be in danger.
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