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Bearing It
Claudette, known to her friends as 'Teddy', has turned a domestic enthusiasm for cuddly toy bears into support for organisations fighting to preserve dwindling numbers of the real thing ... (photo)
So what is it that Claudette finds so attractive about bears? She explains in a brisk, no-nonsense voice, "Teddy bears, in particular, are quiet, they don鈥檛 ask for anything, argue or complain. It鈥檚 like therapy to go and sit with all these furry benign faces. You can just be quiet and reflect and sort out what it is, instead of asking someone鈥檚 advice which is going to be complete rubbish!"
But a passion for the quiet, domestic breed of bear has turned to a love of the real thing. About 5 years ago, Claudette saw her first live bear, in the wild, whilst on an ecology tour in Russia. The trip included spending time with Valentine Pazetnov, a world famous expert on bears. Claudette was inspired by the way he cared for orphaned bear cubs, whose mothers had died, all too often victims of hunters who are licensed to kill them.
Camouflaged in dark clothing, his face covered, and, crucially, wearing gloves, Pazetnov takes the cubs to temporary safety. "He doesn鈥檛 cuddle the cubs, or love them," explained Claudette, "He bottle feeds them until they can fend for themselves on a tray which is covered with greenery from the forest. Gradually, he takes them back into the forest with a cluck clucking sound - mother bears make a clucking sound - and they follow him along."
Polar bears are Claudette's favourite and whilst on a trip to Canada she enjoyed a close encounter with a rather tough-sounding bear; "He had a gash on one side where he鈥檇 obviously been fighting, and he smelt some soup we had on board our tundra buggy (a huge truck with enormous wheels). Gradually he stood up and put his paws on the rim of the tyres and stretched right up the window with his huge black nose and black eyes gleaming. All I could think of was, 'This is my polar bear. This is the bear I've waited all these years to see.' There's nothing like the thrill of seeing bears in the wild."
Has a casual interest or hobby developed into a more serious presence in your life?
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