Introduction

It was late in the evening as I was driving north on the IcefieldsParkway from Alberta's Banff National Park to Jasper National Parkwhen I noticed a brown shape on a grassy area beside the highway. AsI approached I saw it was a grizzly bear. Then, to my great surprise,I also saw two cubs. It was a mother and her babies. No one else wasaround. I was alone with the three bears. I sat in the car and watchedthem play and forage in the grass and nearby bushes. About 10 minuteslater, they slowly ambled away and vanished into the trees.

Just 30 minutes later, I encountered two young black bearsplaying rough-and-tumble with each other as they moved along theedge of the forest before running down a steep embankment onto agravel covered riverbank. I watched them through my binoculars.They seemed to be having fun as they travelled east along the river,until they finally disappeared over a faraway ridge.

Throughout the years, I've encountered a lot of bears. Sometimesthey were wild, like the ones I've described above, but hundreds havebeen in captivity, confined in zoos and circuses. As a professionalanimal advocate I've done my best to help bears by conductingcampaigns to end their neglect, abuse and suffering and to keepthem in the wild, where they belong.

Our relationship with bears is complex. Some people think ofbears as big, cuddly pets, while others see them as dangerous, wildanimals. Many people want bears left undisturbed in the wild, whileothers want to hunt and kill them, confine them in zoos or use themfor their fur, meat or body parts.

It's clear that bears are popular animals almost everywhere inthe world. They're featured in fables, cartoons, children's books,television shows, documentary films and other media. In 5 BearsI mention two that have become famous: Winnie, the real bear thatled to the story Winnie the Pooh, and Wojtek, the soldier bear whobecame a war hero. I also talk about lesser known bears like Yupi,a polar bear who lived in Mexico, Jasper, who was rescued from abear farm in China, and Vince who now lives at a sanctuary in theUnited States I hope their stories show what their lives were, andare, really like and the issues and challenges that all bears face

There are many myths and misunderstandings about bears In5 Bears I hope to set the record straight and convince you that bearsdeserve our respect, compassion and protection Today, bears in thewild are threatened and many bears in captivity are suffering. Theyneed our help to ensure they survive and prosper in the years aheadI hope after reading this book you'll decide it's time for you to doyour part to help bears

Rob Laidlaw
Award-winning children's author
Executive Director, Zoocheck