When A Crow Fell Into This Zoo Bear’s Pond, An Unexpectedly Sweet Thing Happened But Like What Does That Even Mean??????

 One thing that Leonardo de Caprio’s movie The Revenant, that by the way got him that long overdue Oscar, taught us about bears is that even if they are not messed with, can tear you from limb to limb. It reinstates the bestial nature of the bears and even though most people know that brown grizzlies like feeding on fruits and berries, it is also a commonly known fact that when they are extremely hungry the males can also eat their young ones.

But these aggressive tendencies are shown by the bears in the wild. What about bears who are forced into confinement? People expect them to be more aggressive and sometimes they prove people right.

Not Meant To Be Confined

Brown bears, also called grizzlies, found in most of Europe, US and Canada are considered one of the most dangerous animals on earth. Not only is their size dominating, they are literally capable of causing the death of any being using their paws. These large bears can hardly find enough wild space in nature anymore, thanks to the exponential way in which deforestation is taking place, on top of that they are being confined in spaces like zoos. Animals kept in captivity tend to be more aggressive at times.

Bears In Zoos

Here are some less known bear facts. Bears, even though among the fierce forces of nature are also known to have a kinder side to their nature. They can be really goofy and are certainly cuddly, that is why they are called grizzlies. A lot of zoos have bears and they really entertain people with their quirks but confinement can make some bears irritable and attacks on humans by bears are not unheard of but that is true for all zoo animals. Therefore, extra care is taken as far as securing grizzlies is concerned.

Their Conditions

There are a lot of zoos who starve wild animals like bears, lions, and tigers so that they do not have a lot of energy to act on their wild impulses and so that they can be easily tamed. This treatment is nothing short of barbaric. But there are other zoos which keep the wild animals well fed and try to provide them space, as close an imitation of nature as possible. One such zoo is Budapest Zoo in Hungary.

Budapest Zoo

The official name of the place is Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden and it does not just keep animals on display. It is a professional conservation workhouse and place that safeguards endangered creatures. It has various conservation programs and is collaborated with organizations such as WWF. It can be safely assumed that the animals here receive the best care and are mostly kind to each other but one incident made everyone doubt that.

The Cacophonous Crows

For some time now hooded black crows had been troubling the residents of the Budapest zoo. Stealing meat from tigers, lions and even bears and the zoo authorities had to make sure to protect small animals like the guinea pigs because crows are vicious and can prey on them. Just when one of these crows was on a stealing expedition, it was unlucky to fall into a pool and since crows can’t swim, it started drowning. 

The Tenant

Unfortunately for the crow, the pool that it fell in belonged to the area where a bear resided. The entire incident was recorded by a visitor on video. The female bear in the picture is Vali. She was just lurking around the pond when she noticed a disturbance in the waters. It piqued her curiosity and she went closer to look what the hubbub in her usually quiet pond was about. The video camera knew it before she did.

Getting A Closer Look

Vali, to get a closer look, stepped on the rock in the pond, which eerily enough, had a carcass of a bird on it as if as a sign of Vali’s potential. It obviously had been Vali’s prey, and she even moved around it with familiarity. The crow in the pond was not moving for a while but then it made a sudden desperate attempt to fly with its wings when it saw Vali closing in. Was this going to be another prey of Vali’s?

Freaking Crow

The crow had been trying to sneak out of the pond without making a noise but the moment it saw Vali approaching, it freaked out and it even alerted Vali. It can be seen fanatically flapping wings, hoping to fly out of water or it simply wished to drown- anything is better than being eaten alive really. The people could only pity the not so pitiable bird for the fate it was about to reach but there was a twist they did not expect.

“Help, Someone, Anyone… But You”

That is what the body language and desperation of the crow seem to speak. While the crow tried to get out of the pond by any way possible the bear stood by watching patiently. It seemed to wait for the crow to make the best effort, and then jump in the picture. In the video uploaded ahead, it can be seen lurking around, in no hurry, looking for some other food item in its residence.

Anticipation

The spectators stood by watching, children in horror. They just knew that escaping was no longer an option for the crow- it was only a matter of how the crow died- by drowning or by becoming Vali’s snack. Even though the language in the video ahead is not decipherable, because it is Hungarian, it is clear from the excited voices of the people that, it’s the crow’s fate they were discussing. But what actually happened, no one saw coming. 

“Come Here You”

The bear had waited enough. When Vali was sure that the crow could not escape, either by flapping its wing or by taking the help of the edge of the rock, she put her claw into the pond to fish out the crow. However, even on the brink of death, the crow seemed determined not to die by becoming the food of Vali. It fought Vali’s grip but she was obviously at an advantage because of the virtue of her being a bear and on safe ground.

Nipping

By now Vali had put even her mouth in the pond, and the crow was trapped under one of her claws. There was literally no escape. However, when Vali was trying to put the crow in her mouth, it nipped at her nose sharply. As if warning her, even in its dire condition. Vali seemed a little taken aback but that did not stop from putting the crow in her mouth, everyone thought it was the end of Vali but as the video clip shows, that is not quite true.

No Running Away

Vali had the crow in her mouth now, holding on to it with its single wing. The crow was completely drenched in water and if closely seen, can be found shivering. With one single pull Vali, with all her strength pulled the crow out, the spectators should have covered the eyes of their children by now because everyone knew what was coming next but they were proven wrong.

Can’t Play Dead

The moment the crow was roughly pulled out by the bear and literally thrown on the ground the person making the video instantly focused on the crow as it looked lifeless. It probably terrified itself to death. It just lay there, claws in the air, not stirring an inch. It is a good thing that the video did not stop because what actually happened would have been unbelievable without proof. 

Not Interested?

Meanwhile, when the crow was apparently dead, the bear absolutely stopped paying attention to it. It is probably true that bears do not attack what seems to be dead, that’s why we are advised to play dead if we encounter a grizzly in the wild. Was the crow doing the same? Whatever was happening was quite strange. While Vali was busy not being interested there was some movement by the crow. 

“Am I Alive?”

After moments of lying still the crow shook, as if from a stupor and looked all puzzled. Vali’s back was turned to it and half on its back, it just kept staring at Vali, surprised that it was still alive and quite unable to do anything else because the entire ordeal of struggling in the water and trying not to be eaten by a bear drained out all the energy this crow had. What was happening? And this was the question even the spectators seem to be asking.

Bearly Existing

The crow flipped and stood up on its feet but barely. In the video clip, it can be seen shivering, almost weightless, bamboozled by what was happening, or not happening. Its confusing and surprise are clearly visible in its demeanor. It could not deal with the fact that the bear actually saved it instead of snapping its wings and eating it by the side of the pond. But did the bear really save the crow?

Changed Her Mind?

Online spectators believe that Vali had been planning to eat the crow all along but changed her mind in the end. Why? They believe that crow nipping her on the nose alerted her and she lost interest in it at that moment. Even the official website of the zoo writes that the crow was lucky because Vali seemed just curious but some others believe otherwise.

Apples And Carrots

As unbelievable as it sounds, it can be seen in the video clip that after pulling the crow out, Vali just went back to eating carrots and apples! Some might think of her as a disgrace to the bear community but online commentators have a perfectly reasonable explanation for Vali’s behavior.

‘Unbearable’

The website issued a statement which reads, “the crow was lucky to meet Vali instead of the other tenant of the paddock named Defoe, as the latter probably would have had a taste of the blackbird.” So was it the kind nature of Vali or the good luck of the crow? And if it was the former, why did she act so ‘un-bearable’?

Crow Stayed A While

The fact that the bear was not actually trying to hurt the crow is also proven by the fact that the crow did not fly away or try to leave bear’s vicinity for quite some time. It shows that, though confused, it had by now garnered trust in Vali, that she was not interested in it, and thus it was safe to rest a while there.

Not THAT Strange

Cross-species altruistic acts are not unknown in nature. Some commentators believe that kindness comes naturally in some cases and it has nothing to do with the species of the animals. Before going on to Vali’s video and understanding her actions, here are a few examples of different animals helping each other in distress and it is overwhelming.

Lioness And Calf

A lioness saved a calf from another lion and, no, not to have it all for herself but to save its life. If THIS can happen, then believing that Vali actually was trying to save the crow all along doesn’t sound so far-fetched now, does it? Even lionesses saving other animals in wild is not unknown. 

Dog And Fish

This is almost heartbreaking. The fish is clearly beyond help here but the little pupper, who looks extremely sad by the state of affairs is doing the best it could to save the life of this almost dead animal. Dogs epitomize compassion and this is just another proof of that. 

Hippo And Deer

So hippos have become water saviors as there have been many incidents now where they have saved animals from the clutches of crocodiles. Some researchers believe that crocodiles are somewhere actually scared of hippos. In this case, one hippo literally chased the crocodile away which had a deer, in its mouth. 

Dog And Goat

Yeah, a dog made to the list again. We can’t really blame them for being the most helpful and compassionate creatures on earth, can we? Here is a dog patiently feeding a baby goat. Even though Vali did not go as far as feeding the crow, she saved its life and that’s a kind act in itself.

Well Kept

The other theory which tries to justify Vali’s behavior is that Vali was well fed and taken care of at the zoo that she did not NEED to prey on the crow. All her food needs were met at the zoo. One can notice that from the spread of carrots and apples in her ‘lounging area’. Whatever it was, she sure did surprise the spectators. 

Internet Sensation

This un-bear-like act of Vali’s got her instant fame. The video clip went viral within days of its release on youtube. As of today, it has garnered almost 20 million views. Not everyone can understand the language spoken in the video but one doesn’t need a translator to decipher people’s astonishment.

“Our world-famous bear”

This is what the website page for Vali is titled. Yes, Vali has her own separate page on the website now that she is an “international superstar”. Her act made a lot of people change their minds about bears but one must still be wary. They are after all the creatures of the wild and should not be taken for granted. Vali’s behavior should be looked at in isolation.

Increased Zoo Traffic

Vali’s act proved really advantageous for the zoo. As she garnered attention, people from across the globe flocked to look at her at the Budapest zoo. It obviously elevated the business and that is why Vali now has a separate page on the website as she alone can garner all the needed attention.