WHEN BEAR MEETS BEAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 63, 14 March 1877, Page 4

WHEN BEAR MEETS BEAR.

The Cologne Gazette contains an Recount cf a combat which took place in the Zoological Gardens of that city between two polar bearß, which, that journals remarks, " a Roman Emperor would assuredly have paid a million sestertii to witness." These two bears had been brought from Spitzbergen five years ago, and had been placed iu a large pit, with a tank in the centre. Until the last few days they had remained upon excellent terms with each other, but iast week a quarrel occurred between them, the result of which was that the female bear took refuge upon the summit of a large rock in one comer of the pit. The male did not attempt to follow her, and she remained there three days, when, pressed by hunger, she descended again. As soon as the aiule bear saw her, he immediately rushed at ber and attacked her with his fore paws. The keepers tried to separate them, and belabored the male with heavy iron bars; ..but; the bonesih the head of the Polar bears are so much harder than those of an ordinary*.- bear that these blows took no effect.- ' The male bear continued to wreak his. vengeance upon his compauion, and ' after having almost torn her body into ribbons, he dragged her to the bottomi of the tank, and beld . her there until he felt assured that all sign of life was extinct. He then brought her .body back to the floor of the pit, and dragged it round the tank for nearly an hour. After this he withdrew into his sleeping den to rest from his labors,' and the keepers .at once closed tbe.irbn bars upon him.. Having examined the body of thedead bear, they found that if had received more than a hundred -wounds; the neck and head were crushed almost info a jelly, and the flesh was hanging in strips irom the back and sides. During tbe whole combat, neither. .of the bears uttered a cty or i-foilnu 0 of any kia^ - * ."..v.'" „ x-y-. ;-;//->