Natures PR Stunt: The Polar Bear Adoption Hoax
Seriously? A polar bear adopting an orphaned cub? Is this what passes for groundbreaking research these days? Apparently, a team of Canadians – bless their maple-syrup-soaked hearts – have stumbled upon the most predictable outcome imaginable and are now presenting it as some sort of miraculous display of maternal instinct.
Let’s be honest; wildlife documentaries have been manipulating us with anthropomorphic nonsense for decades! Now were supposed to believe this is genuine? It’s probably just a hungry polar bear, desperately seeking sustenance, and figuring that a conveniently-sized cub represents a less strenuous meal than wrestling a walrus. Adoption implies affection, nurturing… do you honestly think a creature built for icy survival has the capacity for such sentimentality?
The press release gushing about unprecedented behavior makes me want to scream into a blizzard. Of course, animals sometimes exhibit unexpected interactions! It doesn’t mean its a heartwarming fairytale of found families in the Arctic. It probably just means one cub wandered too close to a predator looking for dinner and managed to avoid becoming dinner temporarily.
Honestly, the lengths we go to manufacture narratives that make us feel good about the natural world are astounding. Can we please stop pretending wildlife is putting on a Disney production?
