2.22.2006

Protecting the cubs

I've got a couple of observations about this story, but it's still pretty damn impressive to read about how a mother fought off a polar bear to save her children:
    IVUJIVIK, Quebec — Lydia Angyiou's kids sure won't be giving her much trouble any more, now that they've seen her wrestle a 700-pound polar bear. Angyiou lives in Ivujivik, a village of 300 people on the shore of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec.

    One Wednesday evening earlier this month, Angyiou was walking near the village community center with her two sons when a group of children playing street hockey nearby started shouting and pointing frantically. Angyiou, 41, turned around and saw a polar bear sizing up her 7-year-old son.

    She told the children to run and raced around to get between the bear and her son. Then she started kicking and punching the animal, according to police reports. In a flash, the bear swatted her in the face and she fell on her back. With the bear on top of her, Angyiou began kicking her legs in a bicycle-pedaling motion. She was swatted once more and rolled over, but the bear moved toward her again.

    Siqualuk Ainalik heard the commotion and came rushing over. Seeing Angyiou wrestling with the bear, he ran to his brother's home, grabbed a rifle and headed back to the street. He fired a few warning shots. The sound diverted the bear's attention from Angyiou just long enough for him to aim and fire again. According to police, Ainalik fired four shots into the bear before it finally died.
How many did it take Sawyer on Lost? I suppose this is unusual, but considering where the heck this place is, maybe not. Here's a picture from Google Earth at 30,000 ft.Not much to look at, eh? Here's a shot from an equal height over Arlington, a suburb of Washington, DC.See that big red circle? No, that is not a lava moat, that is where Arlington National Cemetery is located, which is quite visible even from this height. Notice all the roads and pretty buildings, too. Makes me wonder just where in the hell these people are living. Seems like on top of a polar bear's natural habitat. That's probably why ol' Siqualuk had to put 17 bullets into him.

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