Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Bald bears baffle vets with mystery condition at German zoo (Live controllable camera)

Bare-faced: Dolores has a condition which means she has gone totally baldWrinkly: All the female bears at the zoo have the same condition. They have become a bit of a crowd pullerWhere's my fur coat gone? Dolores still has a ring of fur around her face. She lethal claws are clearly visibleFull head of hair: These is how Dolores would have looked before she lost her fur. The spectacled bears have a thick, dark coat normally

... the unfortunate Dolores ... has lost all her body hair and has just been left with a few tufts around her head. Vets have been left baffled by the condition of the bespectacled bear, who lives at a zoo in Leipzig. And Dolores isn't the only one. The sudden hair loss has affected all female bears at the zoo.Some experts believe it could be due to a genetic defect though the animals do not seem to be suffering from any other affliction. The bears, which originate from South America, normally have fluffy dark brown fur and would now be growing a thicker fur coat to keep warm during the winter.

But instead they have developed nasty rashes and inflammations on their skin. Unfortunately for the bears, their lack of hair has been pulling in the crowds who want to see want to see the wrinkly animals. Hopefully the zoo will be turning up the heat in their enclosure.

via Bald bears baffle vets with mystery condition at German zoo | Mail Online.

Here is a live controllable camera from a (the same?) zoo in Leipzig. Didn't see any bears, however.  A vet should be able to diagnose mange and it would be strange (I think) for only the females to get attacked by pests that make their skin fall out. The rashes may be due to the lack of protection from the sun. If you have any more information from the vets, let us know in a comment.  Perhaps animals have a deep genetic sense that knows when the Earth is about to move into a hot period of climate change. Perhaps these bears are getting ready for the Earth to change, same as the "chupacabras" in Texas which are actually foxes with the same condition.

2 comments:

flip said...

No expert, but even borderline iron and b12 deficiency can cause this in humans....

Alexander said...

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair...