Not many amongst the thousands of tourists that head for Spain each year will be aware that the country has a bear population, albeit a small one. Hunted almost to the point of extinction, the Cantabrian Brown Bear is now protected, but its numbers have dwindled to around one hundred and sixty which live in two colonies whose boundaries are separated by a mere thirty kilometres. The larger group of around one hundred and twenty bears lives on the borders of Asturias, Galicia and Leon whilst thirty or forty live around the borders of Cantabria. Today, the maximum fine for killing a bear is three hundred thousand Euros, although the hunting ban did not come into force until 1973.

This animal, having been restrained by the geography of the region, has a slightly different genetic make-up than other brown bears and is recognised as a sub-species. It stands around one metre high and has a length of two metres. At one hundred and eighty kilos, it is the smallest member of the bear family. A mainly vegetarian diet of berries, roots and plants, supplemented by insects, eggs and honey and carrion, sustain this rare creature. It is at its heaviest in autumn, in readiness for the winter hibernation period. With the outbreak of BSE, the European Union ordered removal of carcasses from the countryside, and since the Cantabrian Brown Bear relies heavily on carrion during spring, this was a blow for the colonies. Prior to this ruling, seventeen thousand dead animals were left in the Spanish countryside each year. Whilst vultures and other carrion eaters were saved by the erection of cordoned-off feeding areas, nothing was done for the bears or other mammals. As a result of this, beekeepers are finding that their hives are being destroyed by hungry bears.

One of the surprising things about the Cantabrian Brown Bear is the size of its offspring at birth. Weighing in at only three hundred and fifty grams, the newborn is very small indeed when taking into account the size of its mother and the nine months gestation period. Mostly, two cubs form a litter, but the infant mortality rate is extremely high due to diseases, illegal hunting and the actions of adult male bears, which quite often kill the cubs in order to bring the female into season once again, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t happen until three years after giving birth. If a cub survives, it will stay with its mother for around two years.

Unlike its more aggressive cousins the Grizzly and Black Bear, the Cantabrian Brown would avoid confrontation with humans if at all possible, but this has not stopped the occasional shooting, trapping or poisoning of the bears, whether intentional or not. Other threats come in the shape of man-made structures such as highways or railways. But despite these unfortunate occurrences, many people are actively involved with the preservation of the bears. The general consensus that uniting the two colonies would bring about a stronger gene pool, has led to moves to bring about this situation by creating a protected corridor of land between the two areas.

In 2005, reports indicated the presence of Cantabrian Brown Bears on the Portuguese border, so hopefully the seven thousand square kilometres presently occupied by the bears will increase, along with the population which once covered the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. The Brown Bear is said to have originated in Asia and spread across Europe and North America, the Cantabrian Brown being a subspecies. The nearest Relative of the Cantabrian Brown is a small population of Brown Bears in the south of Sweden. The last reproductive female in the Pyrenees was shot by a hunter in 2004. Brown Bears from Slovenia are now being re-introduced into the Pyrenees. A project of camera photo trapping is at present being employed in the colonies, alongside education programmes aimed at children and in particular hunters, who hold the future of the bears in their hands. On the other hand, plans are being drawn up to build a ski resort in the San Gloria pass area of the bear’s habitat, a project that is understandably being met with fierce opposition. Whatever happens, the vast majority of us hope that the bears will thrive and re-populate the mountains.

Ursus arctos horribilis will be the scientific name for grizzly Bear and is commonly called silvertip in North America and is one of the famous subspecies of the brown bear.

Grizzly Bear Facts usually roams across the continent of North America for more than millions of years ago and it’s outlived the saber toothed tiger and even the mastodon. Because of poaching and hunting, grizzly Bears and it’s subspecies are going extinct. Now, you can see grizzly Bears roaming around in parts of Alaska, Canada, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

Grizzly refers to the hairs which are frosted and white tipped appearance especially those bears that lived in Rocky Mountains as well. Grizzly’s fur has different colors from gray, brown, dark brown, yellow brown and black as well. The color depends on the natural habitat they lived and the kind of climate.

When it comes to sizes of this grizzly Bears ranges from 200 – 680 kg and frequently depends on the region of the habitat it lived. It is for a proven fact that males are heavier than females as well as if they are heavy and tall, they could still run more than 60km/h. They have strong legs and large shoulders that enables them to climb trees and mountains and dig soils or rocks as well. To find their food, they need to climb trees to obtain some honey and swim rivers as well.

This Types of Bears marks their territory too on trees and uses their jaws and claws in fighting. The Bear could outlast human for a lot more than 30 years and they’ve got senses too like sense of smell as well.

Surviving is everything and to be able to survive winter they need to eat a minimum of 200kg of fat. These bears are omnivorous and will eat almost anything from fish, whales, ants and honey. They also can eat elk, carrion, foxes and squirrels as well. But almost 90% of the food they eat is vegetarian. Just like other Types of Bears is that they’re solitary but gathers along with fellow bears in the banks and upstream to catch fish especially during salmon’s breeding time when the fish are trying to swim upstream to breed. When it pertains to mating, they sometimes mate during May and July but it has been noted that males find their mate by their sense of smell.

The American black bear is one of three North American bear species. They are the smallest of these native bears, but they are still extremely powerful and dangerous if provoked.

The sharp, non- retractable claws on the paws of the black bear provides this animal profound tree climbing skills. Heights are not a deterrent.

Many people in the US are familiar with the Eastern black bear and the creatures frequently show up at campsites and parks in the mountains in Tennessee, Virginia, as well as North Carolina.

These bears are found in numerous locations of the North American continent besides the Appalachians as well as Blue Ridge Mountains.

You will find black bears habitats on the the west and east coasts and several bears inhabit the coastal region of British Columbia in Canada. And needless to say, you’ll find many in New Brunswick, as well.

Fur Coloring

The fur on the black bear is usually a glossy black over the whole body with the exception of their brown muzzle. You can find some bears that may also show a number of lighter color marks on the chests or stomachs.

The eyes of the bear are usually brown, but some seem to be almost black in color.

Among the most pronounced differences among the bears of each region may be the coloring of the fur. The bears which inhabit Eastern states are largely the ones that possess a black fur.

Wes

A persistent, chronic cough should not be ignored, particularly in children and could be a common symptom of asthma. Asthma cough is different than a conventional cough and it’s important to differentiate between the two.

One of the most difficult things for parents is determining what is asthma cough and what is conventional coughing. There is a distinct difference. In fact, don’t guess. The best course of action is to make an appointment to see your doctor. The truth is doctors even have difficulty in establishing the difference between the two.

Identifying Asthma Cough

Let’s look at what asthma cough is. Essentially, asthma cough is non productive. By non productive, mucus isn’t brought up. In fact, it’s unique and has a sound all to it’s own. It’s very much a dry, wheezing sound and can persist until a child or adult gets to the stage where they are gasping for air. So no mucus and the chances are it’s an asthma cough: if their is mucus, then it may be the signs of an impending cold.

The Cause Of Asthma Cough?

The most likely cause are allergens or irritants. The home is a common trigger factor and harbors a number of these symptom producing culprits. When a person reacts to these allergens or irritants the result will be a swelling in the airways causing muscle spasms in and around the bronchial passages. Because it’s an irritant and not mucus productive, the obvious reaction is to cough and the reason why it’s dry. Trying to force the irritating factor through the bronchial passages means the coughing will usually be prolonged and eventually lead to shortness of breath and dry reaching.

Asthma Cough Treatment

One of the best responsive treatments is the use of bronchodilators. They are effective in loosening the muscles around the bronchial tubes, soothing the cough and providing much needed respite to the sufferer. Lack of air movement when the muscles become tight around the bronchial tubes is akin to a “bear hug” being applied the use of broncodilators eases this restrictive effect, forcing the air back through the passages.

Effective treatment also includes the use of inhaled corticosteroids. This anti-inflammatory treatment has the effect of easing the swelling, usually chronic, around the bronchial area thus making their job of forcing out any irritants a lot easier.

Other Treatment Methods

Herbal specialists have been sought in recent times and recommendations such as tea, black or green, are said to provide some relief against asthma cough symptoms. Honey can also provide relief particularly before going to bed at night. How effective these treatments are compared to more traditional medical treatments shouldn’t really be an issue as they are intended more to compliment those treatments.

Eliminating most of the allergens and irritants from the home may not be possible, in fact, it’s nigh on impossible however, with good management practice techniques, asthma cough incidence can be kept to a minimum.