06/18/07 Bear Cubs Ride the Rails

Human parents tell their children not to cry over spilled milk so it isn't such a stretch to think that Momma bears in Calgary, Canada must be telling their babies not to cry over spilled grain. The Canadian Wheat Board vented their frustration with Canadian Pacific Railway for excess grain that continually ends up where it shouldn't; on railroad tracks. In fact it was just that scenario that caused a couple of little bear cubs to ride the rails last week and end up in quite the predicament. The bear family was drawn to an easy meal of grain left on a platform of a railroad car. When the train began to move Momma jumped off, but the twins, only a few months old were too scared to follow so were whizzed down the tracks wailing. It was a bad situation given the fact that spilled grain has caused the death many bears and other wildlife drawn to the tracks for food. Canadian Pacific Railway is promising to invest capitol to remodel railroad cars to prevent excess spillage. Thankfully this story has a happy ending, as two very angry cubs were reunited with a delighted mother bear.