TEDDY BEAR DAY!

TEDDY BEAR DAY!!!

Today is Teddy Bear Day! We’re celebrating these magical stuffed pals and their wild inspirations! Everyone hug their bear at home and send a hug to all those wild amazing bears out there!

Our pal Bertie Bear!

Do you know where teddy bears came from? They were named after the American president Theodore Roosevelt (he also started the National Park System in the United States!) We found this great history of the teddy bear here!

So why do we love bears? We found this great answer on the New Hampshire Fish and Game website :

“What good are bears?
Throughout history, humans have always been interested in black bears. They occupy many places in our culture — from Native American ceremonies to Teddy bears. Bears have a very positive impact on our environment. Because bears need a variety of habitats to thrive, managing habitat for bears benefits many other species. As a result, bears are a good indicator species of healthy wildlife habitat. If a habitat supports bears, it will support many other creatures.

The bears themselves affect the ecosystem in a multitude of ways. As predators, they help control deer and moose populations; as scavengers they help clean up carcasses; in their search for insects, they act as nutrient recyclers; and by eating a variety of fruits, they help distribute and sow fruiting trees and shrubs which are used by other animals.

Bears also hold some secrets that are worthy of study — such as the ability of denning pregnant female bears to shut down their digestive and excretory systems and still deliver and nurse as many as 5 cubs. Bears also have significant economic value in many parts of the country; hunters, photographers and wildlife enthusiasts all spend significant sums of money in order to hunt or view bears. Hunters utilize harvested bears as a highly prized source of food. Bears enrich our lives in many ways and provide many useful functions. Perhaps the most important function is the knowledge that if you live in an area that can support a healthy bear population, that area is also healthy enough to support you.”

Black bear

Brown bear

Sun bear

Sloth bear

Polar bear

Asiatic Black Bear

Spectacled bear

Panda bear

There are 8 species of bears in the world! They include Sun bears, Black bears, Brown bears, Polar bears, Asiatic Black bear, Sloth bear, Spectacled bear, Giant Panda bear. Six of the species are listed as threatened to endangered. There are many groups working to protect all of these bears, including the World Wildlife Fund!

Every time you hug your favorite Teddy friend think of great ways you can help their wild cousins! Happy Teddy Bear Day!