Howdy Humans,
I was sitting on my porch this weekend sipping honeyed sweet tea and catching up on my crossword puzzles when I stumbled upon a news article that got me feeling a little salty. You may have seen it yourself: humans on social media are speculating that a sun bear in an Eastern China zoo could be a person in costume.
To share something a bit vulnerable… I can relate: it is not uncommon at our dinners that I hear humans speculating that I, myself, am not a real bear, but a person dressed in an ill-fitting bear suit. In light of this article, I wanted to address this appalling (and rather hurtful) rumor head-on.
Dr. Ashleigh Marshall, an expert from Chester Zoo, concedes bears do often "look a lot like people in their costumes” (but that doesn’t mean they are!). And to put a finer point on it, when asked about the ruffled appearance of a bear's skin around the rear end, she said this is “a normal and very important feature of its anatomy.”
The folds help protect the bears from predators, as the looseness allows the bear to "turn around in their skin" [when cooking] and fight back if a large animal like a tiger (or a tipsy diner) were to get hold of them, Dr Marshall explained.
I hope this helps quench the rumors and assuage any doubters out there. And for those of you who want to come and see this baggy bear booty for yourself, we still have 3 tickets available for our last August dinner on the 18th, and just released our September dates for booking.
Get in here quick and taste what I’m loving - our delicious five-ounce New York strip steak with confit asparagus, potato puree, and bourbon 'bear'naise sauce. See you all soon.
Yours,
Bear