Being the polar bear's quest
Sep 16, 2022 3:41 pm
Are humans ever the spirit animals for other animals?
I saw a TikTok the other day where a polar bear approached some humans for help after it got a can stuck on its tongue. Apparently it hadn't been able to eat for a few days. The people eventually sedated the animal so they could remove it. On one hand, that's incredibly brave of the people who did that. Anyone else know this mnemonic?
Bear is black, fight back
Bear is brown, lay down
Bear is white, say goodnight
You don't go out of your way to help a polar bear without understanding there's risk involved.
But it's also brave for the polar bear to approach humans. I mean, human-bear interactions are rarely benign for either party. Sometimes you can use animals (I want to build a bat house to encourage them to eat mosquitoes) and animals sometimes use us too.
And then there's individual differences. Crows are so smart that they can figure out which people drop peanuts and which ones shoot birds for fun. We can have interactions with wild animals that are more than just one of us eating the other one.
I used this in The Heat Stealer when Susan goes out to the desert to meditate in hopes that an animal will guide her. But humans aren't the only animals with problems. Lucky for the animal that shows up, Susan happens to be the right guide to answer its question.
Their cool new roommate seems too good to be true. But why is Susan the only one who notices the new girl is literally driving them insane? (Wide)
This week's question: Have you ever been a supporting character in an animal's main story?
The other nature wizards wield fire, earth, air, and water to protect the forest. Only I bring the lightning. When it comes to protecting our fragile Earth against the supernatural predators that teleport into our world to feed,I’m just the goddess-blessed druid to send them packing. (Amazon)
An academic conference, a priceless ancient artifact, and a prehistoric demon looking for its means to escape earthly confinement. (Free review copy)
I betrayed my birthright when I gave up my immortality. I had to make sacrifices to escape the curse of my heritage. Now they're coming to kill me. (Free)
Gratuitous Cat Picture
Don't let the halo fool you. This guy jumps on the counters when we're not looking.
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