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Is there a disconnect?

An excerpt from a report about the effectiveness of the BC Bear Smart Community Program. It reveals some very important, and often overlooked issues. First of all, people have lost their connectedness to the ecosystem. They see themselves as "being above the ecosystem and not part of it." This disconnect between people and their natural environment and the wild animals they share it with has caused a general lack of empathy which has lead to an unwillingness to protect them. We must find ways to reconnect people to the animals we share the planet with, before we can expect them to do their part to save them.

Are you suffering from compassion fatigue?

Are you feeling devastated by the high number of bears getting killed, yet working with tireless determination to create a bear smart movement? Does it sometimes feel like an overwhelming task? A thankless job? Like you take one step forward and two backwards? Do you feel as though you may be developing compassion fatigue? Sometimes when compassion is a one-way street; you give all of your energy and compassion to helping a cause, and aren't able to get enough back to reassure yourself that the world is a hopeful place.

Is a bite an attack?

By Dr. Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, www.bear.org  ….There’s a need for officials to come up with a better definition of a...
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