"For bears everywhere, and for those humans who are on their side."
Launched January 21, 1996 
Last
update July 18, 1996
"To enter the domain of another dominant creature, the bear, has the power to humble us and open our minds to the wonderment of our world."
- Don Middleton
or if you prefer,
a ROARING ( 
)
welcome!
This web site is dedicated to the following goals:
contributing to
a comprehensive understanding of all members of the URSIDAE (bear) family;
allowing visitors
to share in a visual and written celebration of the wonder we experience
in the presence of bears; and
supporting the successful
cohabitation of bears and humans upon the earth.
Be sure to scan this entire page to see the wealth and depth of information now available to you!
Late Breaking BEAR DEN News Stories
***Young Readers Visit To Learn About Bears***
Launched in late March, THE CUB DEN, a website for young readers, is a companion site to The Bear Den. Recognizing that many visitors are young readers, this new website encourages younger children to find out more about bears.. The site contains Ten Facts About Bears; Amazing Facts About Bears; and Books for Young Readers. To take a tour, go to THE CUB DEN.
***British Columbia Issues Province-Wide Bear Advisory Alert***
Following
a recent death and three severe maulings, the provincial government in
British Columbia, Canada has issued a province-wide Bear Advisory Alert.
Home to 120,000 to 160,000 black bears and 10,000 to 13,000 grizzlies/brown
bears, British Columbia has had six human deaths in the past ten years.
A news
release provides general guidelines regarding bear-human interactions
and specific information regarding what to do in the event of a bear attack.
It also refers individuals to its two excellent guides - Safety
Guide to Bears in the Wild and Safety
Guide to Bears at Your Home.
***Eight Arrested On Bear Poaching Charges in Thailand***
In
Thailand, 8 people including 5 South Koreans and 3 Thais have been convicted
for the slaughter of endangered bears and the possession of bear parts.
When the 8 were arrested, police found six bear carcasses, all with their
paws cut off. Those convicted have been released on bail and will be sentenced
in August. They face a maximum sentence of 4 years in jail and a fine of
40,000 baht ($1,600). The Wildlife Fund of Thailand has also called on
the South Korean government to launch a campaign against the "senseless''
belief about the beneficial properties of bear parts and to deter the consumption
of bears in both Thailand and South Korea.
If you have news which you believe is timely, relevant and should be shared, please contact the editor.
According to taxonomic criteria, bears are classed as follows:
kingdom - Animalia
phylum - Cordata
class - Mammalia
order - Carnivora
family - Ursidae
(the Latin word for bear)
Both the evolution of bears and the common species characteristics by which we can describe the modern archetypal bear have been areas of intense study by researchers for many years. Several of the original bear species have become extinct over the past several millennia. With the exception of Africa, Australia and Antarctica, bears once roamed widely throughout all of the other major land masses of the world.
At present, there are eight different species or genus of bears. They include:
Brown
and Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos)
American
Black Bears (Ursus americanus)
Giant
Panda Bears (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Asiatic
Black bears (Selenarctos thibetanus)
Spectacled
Bears (Tremarctos ornatus)
Sloth
Bears (Melursus ursinus)
Sun
Bears (Helarctos malayanus)
In addition to the specific information provided about each of the eight bear species, please check out the following resources unique to The Bear Den:
Bear
Conservancy Organizations
Please, before moving on, take a moment to send your comments, ask a question or contribute information to Don Middleton, [email protected]. Students are always welcome!
Your input can only make The Bear Den more informative. Also, feel free
to put a link to this website on your own homepage or hotlist.
And ..., for your perusal, please read some Comments from Visitors to The Bear Den. And ..., for those interested, some information about Don Middleton.
As we are all aware, websites don't just happen. This website comes to you through the free and gracious support of The Portage Internet Connection, my internet service provider. The owners are Jordan Sharples and Bruce Koss.
"The Bear Den" ©, 1996
is a copyrighted creation of Don
Middleton
"Bears need each of us to believe in the power of one" - Don Middleton
visitors since January
21, 1996
( Courtesy of the Web-Counter )
http://www2.portage.net/~dmiddlet/bears/index.html
For all
images found on the Bear Den and its related pages including The Cub Den,
copyright permission has been secured wherever possible. By virtue of not
knowing who owns the copyright, some images do not show a copyright holder.
If you have such information, please bring it to my attention and I will
correct the copyright acknowledgement or remove the image.
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