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Bears

A Paradise for Grizzly Bears Gets an Up-Close Look

This unique North American sanctuary lets a few lucky observers see the besieged species in its wildest state

The Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan, have fought Japanese domination for centuries. As this century unfolds, their efforts are finally paying off.

How Japan’s Bear-Worshipping Indigenous Group Fought Its Way to Cultural Relevance

For a long time, Japanese anthropologists and officials tried to bury the Ainu. It didn’t work

Park Ranger Leonard Landa with the bear that killed Michele Koons.

The Deadly Grizzly Bear Attacks That Changed the National Park Service Forever

Visitors to Glacier National Park had long conditioned the predators to seek food from humans, making the maulings somewhat inevitable

Bile bears on a farm in Vietnam

Trending Today

Vietnam Commits to Shut Down Bear Bile Farms

Though the new agreement is promising, the practice remains prevalent throughout China and southeast Asia

Grizzly in Yellowstone National Park

Trending Today

Yellowstone Grizzly to Be Removed From Endangered Species List

Their numbers have grown from 136 animals in 1975 to roughly 700 today

A Bear and Her Cubs Took Over Vlad the Impaler’s Castle

Romania’s Poenari Castle was shut down to visitors after authorities had “close encounters” with the creatures

This celestial chart from 1687 is one of many illustrations from books, charts, and maps showing artists’ imaginings of polar bears.

How Polar Bears Became the Dragons of the North

Renaissance maps depicting the “white bears” say more about our own fears and fantasies than about the predators themselves

Cool Finds

Now Everyone Can Track Yosemite’s Bears Online

The park is displaying delayed GPS data on a new website to stop curious humans from scouting out the creatures in real time

Three polar bears climbing on a snow-covered pile of bowhead whale bones on Barter Island near Kaktovik, Alaska.

The Politics of Viewing Polar Bears

Tourists flock to this coastal Alaskan town to photograph the vulnerable icons—raising hairy ethical questions

Canada

The Town That Polar Bears Built

Get to know the four-legged residents of Churchill, Canada

How does a bear catch a break around here?

New Research

Decades-Old Chemicals May Be Threatening Polar Bear Fertility, As If They Didn’t Have Enough to Worry About

A new study sheds light on how today’s pollutants could become tomorrow’s threats to wildlife and humans

A pair of bison hang out in the snow at Yellowstone National Park, one of the United States' best spots to see the huge mammals.

American Safaris: Where to See the Biggest Mammals in the U.S.

Go wild for the United States’ largest mammals and take an American Safari

Dwindling sea ice in the Arctic threatens polar bears and causes increased conflict with humans.

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Resupply Helps Trapped Arctic Scientists Scare Off Polar Bear “Siege”

With sea ice cover at record lows, polar bear conflict with humans becomes more common

In addition to photos, teddy bears are also on display.

This Is What 3,000 Photos of Teddy Bears Look Like

An exhibition at The New Museum takes collection obsession to an over-the-top (but adorable) extreme

A brown bear hunts for salmon in Silver Salmon Creek.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Alaska

Where and How to (Safely) Bear Watch in Alaska

Attacks à la Revenant are a statistical blip. An Alaska expert outlines the dos and don’ts of sharing wilderness with the state’s 133,000 bears

Scarface is dead—long live Scarface.

Trending Today

Yellowstone’s Most Famous Bear Is Dead

Who shot “Scarface”?

A kermode bear, also known as a spirit bear, explores a stream in the depths of British Columbia, Canada's Great Bear Rainforest.

Trending Today

A Historic Conservation Agreement Will Protect Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest

It’s a victory for First Nations, loggers, and environmentalists

Romanian villagers dress up in real bearskins for ursul.

Cool Finds

Ring in the New Year by Dressing Up as a Bear

Romania’s famed bear dance scares away winter

Cool Finds

Meet the Bear Who Earned the Rank of Corporal in the Polish Army

He had a penchant for cigarettes, booze and arm wrestling

Knut, the star of the Berlin Zoo, died due to swelling in his brain.

New Research

Knut the Polar Bear’s Mysterious Death Finally Solved

The famed Berlin Zoo bear suffered from an autoimmune disease that until now has only been known to occur in humans

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