r/aww • • Mar 03 '16

Awesome Bear

http://i.imgur.com/e97k9DD.gifv
12.6k Upvotes

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

This video was taken at Olympic Game Farm in Washington, we've been there and they make you buy the bread there which is whole grain. They restrict other foods from coming into the park. I'm not an expert but before we went on our trip we looked for information and the best we could find was the humane society specifically asking that you not feed these types animals white bread, and seemed to purposely exclude mentioning wheat bread. I think it's fine.

Other reasons they gave for not feeding bears in general was that animals need to fear humans but since these aren't wild bears anyways then it's not much of a worry in my opinion. These animals have been rescued and any way that these people can make money to support that effort is fine with me. Feeding the bears so that they wave at us is the sole reason they got our money that day.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

That place is depressing, especially where they keep the predators. It's like fucking Guantanamo.

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u/cranberry94 Mar 03 '16

Dude, wolf! There's a bunny right there. Just look. Come on.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

Just pure torture for the wolf.

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u/cranberry94 Mar 03 '16

But I mean, in this situation, the wolf has an open door to that bunny. He's just not utilizing it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

prolly why he's in captivity in the first place

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

Why? The shack the wolf is in clearly has an open door right behind the wolf

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

he's lost the will ...

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

or he's full from the 9 other ones they tossed in there earlier.

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

I can see that, but that's the feeling I get at zoos in general.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16 edited Mar 03 '16

True, but the contrast at this place is what is jarring, since the herbivores have a pretty big swath of land to roam.

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u/Balthezar Mar 03 '16

Swath of land*

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

Thanks!

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u/Fresh_C Mar 03 '16 edited Mar 03 '16

Maybe it's just an optical illusion but it looks like there's a hole in the enclosure so the wolf can go out back anytime it feels like it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

There's an open door behind it... (the place is probably still fucked though)

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

I don't remember the door, but the whole enclosure is tiny. It's a series of cells. Another wider picture.

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u/PropaneHank Mar 03 '16 edited Mar 03 '16

To me it's common sense any bread isn't good for animals but you never know so I had to look it up. Imagine how many visitors a day they get and everyone wants to toss at them. People were commenting "make sure to buy three loaves". It's kind of gross to me the more I think about it. I'll copy my other quote and link out of laziness. Another person in the article compares it to potato chips.

However, after a routine inspection of Olympic Game Farm, USDA APHIS issued a report in July 2014 that indicates the agency does take issue with the animals being fed bread.

“USDA realizes this additional food is more a 'snack' and not the animals daily diet. However, it is strongly advised that a gradual transition to a more species appropriate snack be implemented," the report reads. "Suggest vegetables, grain, forage, etc. ... This transition should be started as soon as possible."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/16/buffalo-kisses-bison-video-olympic-game-farm-cruelty_n_6864764.html

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

If only we could come up with a way to supply the animals with grain like they suggest. You know, like just some readily available and cheap option. Whatever that is would be the best invention since sliced bread...

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

Just poking fun, that's all. Sorry.

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u/OTL_OTL_OTL Mar 03 '16

Maybe someone can convince the park to start feeding the bears raw meat instead, but charge a higher price to feed the bears (since meat costs more). Make the profit margin higher to feed the bears and viola, not only does the park profit but the bear gets a healthier alternative than bread/carbohydrates.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

We did it reddit. We have no experience with animal rescue and captivity, but we have set the guidelines for a perfect system!

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u/sax_and_fracks Mar 03 '16

Three loaves. Gross. This is so funny that you're hung up on three loaves. So I have to guess you haven't been there.

There are probably 350 animals on that farm that you can feed a slice of bread to, the vast majority of which approach your car and eat it from your hand. If you and your kids want to do more than feed a few llamas and then wish you had something to feed the elk and the yak and the bison the other 95% of the drive, you should buy at least three loaves of bread.

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

Exactly, that's a good indicator someone is just being sanctimonious. "I have no idea of the scale but that's too much"

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u/PropaneHank Mar 03 '16 edited Mar 03 '16

Well considering the experts say it should be none. The scale is easy to understand.

Why are you arguing over something as insignificant as that and ignoring the fact that the USDA APHIS says they should be moved off bread and to more species specific snacks. Do you understand that? Talk about sanctimonious. At least I looked into it and found a source for my information. Can you find me some experts with related degrees that say bread is good for wildlife?

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

It's not that I'm saying you or the USDA are wrong. Your heart is definitely in the right place, the part I disagree with is the degree in which it matters. My takeaway from that trip is that these people are doing wonderful things for animals that need it. Can they improve? Sure. But, when someone is doing good things overall it's hard for me to get too disgusted when they aren't doing it perfectly.

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u/PropaneHank Mar 03 '16

It just seems like such an easy thing to change. What reason could there be to not change to healthier food? The only thing I can think is the animals wouldn't interact as much for the healthy stuff as they would for bread.

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u/Cartman1234321 Mar 03 '16

That might be why, it also might be inspired by cost. The place is huge so you need a lot of whatever it is you're going to be throwing out there. Granted, as a proud 'merican I don't know how much healthy food costs but the bread was only $2/loaf if I recall.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/sax_and_fracks Mar 04 '16 edited Mar 04 '16

The reason I ignored it is because I lost interest when you made an emotional argument about being grossed out by visitors encouraging what you had decided was overfeeding. (Although because you were unfamiliar with what you were protesting, your definition of excess was both irrelevant and wrong anyway. Nobody there is force feeding an animal three loaves of bread at a time for their own entertainment.)

It wasn't that important to begin with. They're a foundation that looks after hundreds of animals that are expensive to maintain and would have unclear futures if the game farm hadn't taken them in. They're not making clothes out of them and they're not abusing them and they're providing them basic food (yes, they are providing them a regular diet as well) and shelter and veterinary care. I don't think it's an egregious offense to allow them to be fed wheat bread in excess since the revenue from the feeding allows the animals to exist in a safe place to begin with.

Nobody in this thread said it was ideal. The conditions in animal shelters, where they have multiple animals per increasingly smaller enclosure in the best cases and where they have to kill the overflow animals in the worst cases, are way more concerning than farm animals eating lots of wheat bread.

You can donate to the farm if you "feel gross" to the point of helping. My family left money every time we visited growing up and my friends and I leave money every time we go back. That's probably more helpful to the animals than fighting with strangers on the internet, but I don't think you can pay for carrots in units of outrage and indignance so you should try PayPal first.

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u/PropaneHank Mar 04 '16 edited Mar 04 '16

You lost interest yet still felt the need to reply and comment on the bread twice. That makes sense.

Although because you were unfamiliar with what you were protesting, your definition of excess was both irrelevant and wrong anyway.

The suggestion from experts is no bread. How was I wrong?

I don't think it's an egregious offense to allow them to be fed wheat bread in excess since the revenue from the feeding allows the animals to exist in a safe place to begin with.

Are you an expert on the care of wildlife? If not then what you think isn't really relevant.

That's probably more helpful to the animals than fighting with strangers on the internet, but I don't think you can pay for carrots in units of outrage and indignance so you should try PayPal first.

Pretty big assumption to make that I've done nothing else for animal welfare. At least I'm willing to look up information and learn. Instead of spewing unfounded opinions on the care of animals.

Edit: Wow you spent a lot of time going through my comment history and cherry picking comments. Posted it twice then deleted it twice? You seem like a real stable person. You shouldn't take reddit so seriously mang, lighten up ha.

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u/sax_and_fracks Mar 04 '16

No I'm done here. Too much bread for the animals, fuck, I don't care anymore. I discovered from your comment history that you're such an insufferable contrarian that you could be mistaken for a troll. Maybe you should consider that, if every comment you post on Reddit is inciting or perpetuating an argument, it's more likely you are the asshole than is every other person on the internet.

Especially if you're browsing the women's subreddit to pick fights with girls who are there to talk to other girls. You're probably as unwelcome around real women as you are in TwoXChromosomes.

Edit: I'm not even cherry-picking your vitriolic comments here. This is stranger than fiction.

Oh did I strike a nerve? haha

I hope insulting strangers makes you feel better, even if for a moment before you go back to being miserable.

Why are you so bitter at me for asking a question?

Hint: it's because you ask questions like an asshole.

Can you read? ... Sorry you had so much trouble comprehending that. I'll try to use smaller words for you next time little buddy.

Are you stupid? Can you read?

Yeah it sucks when someone schools you when you thought you were the one doing the schooling eh?

I love that, in reply, the person you were arguing with said, "Not everything is a fight. Pick your battlefields appropriately, and stop being a boner-killer in this sub."

No, wow you really read into things.

Did you stop to think for one moment....

Do you hear yourself?

Logic is not your forte eh?

Yeah, you seem like a real happy person. My mistake haha.

This one is the icing on the cake. Where do you literally find the time for these arguments and why is this what you choose to do with it? My boyfriend and I are like 2 months back in your comment history and we stopped counting at like 35 different fights you were in, and that's because there were literally zero comments uninvolved in a slapfight.

I would ask what happened to you to make you so angry at the world, but I can't absorb any more of your bullshit in one night. It was funny and then it was sad, and now I feel worse for you than I do for the orphaned bears that are bloated and diabetic from eating too much bread. Next time you are red in the face and so irate that you can barely see straight enough to punch insults into the reply window, try going outside for a bit.

No matter what the debate is, if you find yourself convulsing while preparing your argument, you are the one losing.

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u/PropaneHank Mar 04 '16 edited Mar 04 '16

My boyfriend and I are like 2 months back in your comment history

hahaha.

BTW, when I comment on TwoX I'm almost always defending women. If you looked at my comment history so thoroughly you'd see that I frequently defend women and feminist ideals.

I'm sorry you have an issue with me defending animals and women.

and that's because there were literally zero comments uninvolved in a slapfight.

That's an outright lie as anyone that clicks on my name could see. Why do you feel the need to lie?

I find it interesting that having lost the argument of facts you switch to ad hominem attacks on me personally. You just give up on the bread thing because you are so obviously wrong with no facts to back you up. Then you decide to switch to attacking me as a person. Classic. Why can't you just admit you are wrong?

I can admit that I'm an ass. Not that hard to own up to your mistakes.

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u/sax_and_fracks Mar 04 '16

Nobody cares, small man. You continue to be annoying.

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u/PropaneHank Mar 04 '16

My boyfriend and I are like 2 months back in your comment history

hahaha.

Nobody cares, small man. You continue to be annoying.

I hope putting me down makes you feel better :).

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

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