Bears, what are they? Angels sent from the heavens? Satan’s followers? Well, they are certainly something, something dangerous. Bears are one of the most widespread animals on our planet, and they have a very interesting history, one full of adventure, strife, betrayal, sadness, and resolution. Let us keep this simple; bears are extremely dangerous, so why has our society glorified them as dopey, loveable, and kind animals? Throughout time, there has been a multitude of famous faces in the bear community, and they have twisted society’s vision of them in time, a rather malicious idea, full of malice, hate, disrespect, pity, and all for what? 

Bears have sharp claws, teeth, and the ability to out-muscle even the strongest of humans. They are apex predators, who most of the time are omnivores, but if they are hungry enough, they wouldn’t have a second thought about killing and eating you and your family. Though over the years we have consistently acted as if bears are not the dangerous animals that they are. 

Many bears have gained notoriety over the years, some familiar faces of these absolute criminals include such bears as Winnie the Pooh, Yogi Bear, Paddington, Smokey Bear, The Teddy Bear, Baloo, Po, Gummy Bears, Ted, Fozzie Bear, Berenstain Bears, Care Bears, Corduroy, the Coca Cola Bear, and there are many, many more. We have all of these childhood character bears that teach us that they are kind creatures when in reality they would kill you without a second thought, and be glad that they would just kill you because if they decide to eat you, they won’t wait till you’re dead, they will eat you while you’re still alive. 

Although these are valid points, bears do hold great importance to humans and other animals. For one, bears are one of the most efficient predators, as they were able to spread all across the Northern Hemisphere (and South America), showing up on 4 different continents. Bears have also adapted to multiple environments, with there being carnivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous bears. As you can see, bears are masters of deception, yet another reason to not trust them.

So the question is why do we act as if bears are just like big dogs? Most regular people know that they are dangerous, but there is a certain unnatural comfortability around bears that people have when it should be fear instead. They are very dangerous wild animals that are 5 times stronger than the average human. They are also very territorial so you don’t want them to get comfortable in a place where you frequent.   

To go back to bears being the stars of a multitude of multiple types of media, we have been desensitized to their dangerous schemes. One individual who stands above the rest in this department is none other than Winnie the Pooh. Oh boy, how do I even start to describe this devious fiend, a spawn of the underworld, a no-good honey-eating mammal, a fur-covered good-for-nothing bear? We have to start with his origins, Winnie was created in London in the year of 1925. He was based on a stuffed animal that the author owned. But the question is, how did this malicious animal befriend a tiger, a pig, a donkey, a rabbit, an owl, a boy, and two kangaroos?! It just doesn’t add up. He lulled us viewers into a false sense of security by appearing as a friendly creature, but he managed to trick us all. We should be wary of this kind of evil trap from now on.                                                

We constantly try to see the good in bears when there is very dangerous evil. People look at bears like they are really big dogs that wouldn’t harm anyone too badly or do anything bad to other animals. When in reality they are the grim reapers for many a person and animal. The other aspect that is attributed to bears is their protectiveness of their babies, but a bear wouldn’t hesitate to eat another bear’s baby or its own if the cub is already dead. So really, why do we like bears?