Polar bear shatters enclosure's glass in zoo

[Still Waters]

Two tourists were caught by surprise at Rotterdam Zoo when a polar bear threw a large rock at the thick glass separating the animal’s enclosure from the pair causing it to crack and nearly shatter.

The two visitors were captured on film admiring the polar bear swimming around through the pane of glass when the rock appears out of nowhere.

Luckily, the pane of glass separating the visitors from their swimming pool was strong enough not to shatter.

http://www.dailymail...tch-horror.html

[EllJay]

Got me thinking of these pictures.

[booNyzarC]

Awesome attempt by the bear. I'd be trying to break out of that too if I were him (or her?).

Imagine fixing that window.

Suppose they'll drain it down so can get to it from both sides? Or put up a waterproof device of some kind on the aquarium side so that they can fix it from within?

[Coffey]

"I want to break free"

I heard he listens to Queen....

[jules99]

Wow; polar bear tool use maybe...stone throwing behavior is usually associated with primates, not bears.

[booNyzarC]

Wow; polar bear tool use maybe...stone throwing behavior is usually associated with primates, not bears.

I'd think that if it were tool use, he would have kept at it until the window fully shattered. More likely some kind of play, like a dog with a ball.

[jules99]

I'd think that if it were tool use, he would have kept at it until the window fully shattered. More likely some kind of play, like a dog with a ball.

Hi booNyzarC;

I thought the rock might have been aimed at prey?, it came pretty close to the 2 people standing by the glass...

bears have been filmed carefully selecting barnacle covered rocks to scratch themselves with..if that counts as tool use.

[booNyzarC]

Hi booNyzarC;

I thought the rock might have been aimed at prey?, it came pretty close to the 2 people standing by the glass...

bears have been filmed carefully selecting barnacle covered rocks to scratch themselves with..if that counts as tool use.

Possible I suppose.

[jules99]

Possible I suppose.

The polar bear is named Vick and apparently he plays with rocks in his pool...so it could well be play that just resulted in an accident. I just watched the film footage...

Cheers

[DarkMatterDisturbance]

You have to watch out for that whitebearpaw...lol

Anyways, polar bears shouldn't be penned up liked that. As a matter of fact, no zoo animals should be penned up as such. Just my opinion.

[EllJay]

You have to watch out for that whitebearpaw...lol

Anyways, polar bears shouldn't be penned up liked that. As a matter of fact, no zoo animals should be penned up as such. Just my opinion.

True, unless they are in danger of extinction and need a safe haven to repopulate.

This is what might happen if you run into them in their natural habitat though.

[Lucky7]

Animals do extraordinary things and are not stupid like humans think they are. They know when they are being held captive and this one is obviously angry about it and no one can blame him/her.

[Charlie Prime]

I didn't know bears could throw rocks. Now they are even scarier. :-)

[FLOMBIE]

I'd think that if it were tool use, he would have kept at it until the window fully shattered. More likely some kind of play, like a dog with a ball.

He kind of does. He throws the first rock around 10 seconds into the video.

[Abramelin]

Animals do extraordinary things and are not stupid like humans think they are. They know when they are being held captive and this one is obviously angry about it and no one can blame him/her.

Well, the next video (Dutch) explains why he threw that 'rock':

As to make sure these animals won't get bored, they give them fish frozen in a large chunk of ice. That way they'll have something to do: they have to open up the block of ice by either smashing it on a rock, or by throwing a rock on the chunk of ice.

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LOL, but now suppose he is hungry an is unable to open the chunk of ice to get to that fish.... he will probably be as angry as someone whose work on his computer is lost because of a crash (and often the cause of many sightings of IFCs = Identified Flying Computers ).

.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Abramelin

[Lucky7]

Well, the next video (Dutch) explains why he threw that 'rock':

As to make sure these animals won't get bored, they give them fish frozen in a large chunk of ice. That way they'll have something to do: they have to open up the block of ice by either smashing it on a rock, or by throwing a rock on the chunk of ice.

[media=]

[/media]

LOL, but now suppose he is hungry an is unable to open the chunk of ice to get to that fish.... he will probably be as angry as someone whose work on his computer is lost because of a crash (and often the cause of many sightings of IFCs = Identified Flying Computers ).

.

Thanks for posting this! This explains it and is so interesting. It is sad though that humans make captive animals behave in unnatural ways... but this does explain alot. I wonder how much of the learned unnatural behaviours get passed into genes as captive animals breed....

[Coffey]

Animals do extraordinary things and are not stupid like humans think they are. They know when they are being held captive and this one is obviously angry about it and no one can blame him/her.

Yeah, most humans are ignorant to the inteligence of animals. It's a pet hate of mine.

[Lucky7]

Yeah, most humans are ignorant to the inteligence of animals. It's a pet hate of mine.

Good pun! but I know you meant it!! LOL.