Headline Of The Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"Algae-dyed polar bears puzzle Japan zoo visitors"
Bizarre! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.
[Photo via AP Images.]
Algae-dyed polar bears puzzle Japan zoo visitors
Green polar bears are drawing questions from puzzled visitors at a Japanese zoo.
Three normally white polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in central Japan changed their color in July after swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae.
The sight of green polar bears has prompted many questions from visitors concerned about whether the animals are sick or carrying mold, zoo official Masami Kurobe said Sunday.
"Visitors seem to be shocked by the color, and we are asked every day why they are so green," he said.
High temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes because of the zoo's conservation efforts caused an algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat, Kurobe said.
Algae that enters hollow spaces in the bears' fur is hard to rinse off, he said.
The bears are expected to return to their natural color when the algae growth subsides in November, Kurobe said.
1st luv u andy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, this story is sooooooooooooo OLD!!!! Seriously, this happens every year, and ppl act like it's news every year. GET OVER IT!
Sheesh, this is so on the Yahoo home page right now. Good source, Perez.
i read this a few days ago on msn!
Re: iLoVeAnDy27 – lol, thanks…love ya too. although, i will say it's kinda weird to see my own face on someone else's avatar.
Looks like Perez!
the andy sn's get confusing on here…………..i want mac n cheese
why would it puzzle them? there is alge in the water and it turned their coat green…….mystery solved!
Re: Andy27 – don't worry baby u'll get used to it ;]
bleach them !
I not nothin'.
Sarah Palin's worst nightmare.
Re: mandzie f baby – hahah…they confuse me as well, and im the real one
read that article on msn yesterday…….. and last year and the year before that. but THANKS !!!!!!!!!! my hair (which is white blond, naturally.. YES naturally) turns green when i swim in a pool also… but not from grossness, from chlorine
seriosuly perez this was on yahoo this morning…..
Seeing as how scat play is the national pastime, I am surprised that the bears aren't brown.
and they can't clean out the water because…..
Skin them and eat them!
The hair shaft of the polar bear is hollow, hence why algae can grow there…..
Um….I learned that this happened to polar bears when I was in fourth grade..but thanks for this hard hitting piece of gossip..
Re: piazzasbuttplug – Witty, funny, and could be considered gay, yet NOT ANNOYING. Take lessons, fellow commenters.
Saw the same phenomenon at the San Diego Zoo.
this happens every year??
what the flick? no it doesn't. if it happened every yeasr, i wouldn't have dropped my jaw when i saw it. I have never seen a green algae-dyed polar bear. If the zoo really wants a polar bear exhibit…change the freakin water. yea, conservation… but how about you all conserve this species!!!
I grew up with these buggers walking in my back yard all my life. and no not like a zoo, a real polar bear in the wild. and, as i said before, if the zoo wants to keep them change the flippin water, algae grows most in warm water… soo, come on you cheap buggers, throw a few ice cubes in there or something.
HELLO! A/C
Polar bears are my favorite! They're so darn cute!!
The bears at our outdoor zoo here in St. Paul do that every year too. No biggie.
Re: bluejay – Fuck you Birdman!
Re: hottie – LOL …that pause between…naturally…yes NATURALLY…cracked me up like u anticipated people wouldnt believe it
Re: JenBunny711 – us "naturals" are a rare breed these days…. !!!
I don't think that this should have happened. I've never ran a zoo or anything, but I've never heard tell of this happening before. Shouldn't they have the algae under control??
Stoops!
Why is this on this blog?
I saw a green polar bear in Tucson. I wonder if this is the same bear, it was transported over seas for breeding…. *sigh*
Slow news day or something?! This happend all.the.time. Blah.
BTW - I detest andy27…. just thought I would counter all the andy love, because he's a tool.
Polar bear hairs are hollow tubes in which the algae grows. This is normal for polar bears who live in warm climates, it's an unnatural habitat for them.
"Oooohh, why bear turn gleen?!?!"
Now that is one polar bear I wouldn't want a hug from.
This happened about 10 years ago at the Calgary zoo. Except the bear turned blue from the algae. Then it went crazy.
Poor bear…