There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Tracking Gobi Grizzlies. Harry and the crew first caught Borte in 2006, when she was seven years old and weighed 163 pounds. Now, five years later, she weighed only 128 pounds. This was the smallest adult female grizzly I had ever seen. While my heart was going out to this tough, skinny little bear lying amid our boots and the stones and dust of Thirstland, Borte was apparently metabolizing her drug dose much faster than normal. Without warning, she suddenly raised her head high and staggered to her feet. This happened while Proctor was still straddling her, tightening the last bolt on the new radio collar around her neck, and the rest of the crew was all crowded around logging data or taking photos and video. One second, the Queen lay dead still, helpless and bedraggled, walled in by a huddle of humanity; the next, panicked people were dropping equipment on the ground and fleeing every direction while Borte whirled and swiped drunkenly at the air around her. She stumbled and went down again, but then struggled back to her feet to slowly wander in circles next to the box trap. After half an hour, she had regained enough muscle control to begin walking away down the canyon. Before Borte went very far, she neared the camera Joe had set up along the way - once again on a stake low to the ground. The last of the daylight was nearly gone now. When the camera was activated to record her approach, it not only clicked but also fired a flash. Startled, the bear bounded away. For a few yards. Then she halted, turned, came back, and demolished the camera, sinking her teeth deep into its mechanical body. Borte might have been the world's tiniest adult grizzly but, by God, she was still a grizzly bear.