Bears “Evolve” Near Humans

1 Samuel 17
“Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”

When we see photos, we do have to keep reminding ourselves that bears are fierce wild carnivores, and not cuddly teddy bears. This is especially true when we see bear cubs which always look adorable. But if they are in the wild, there will probably be a protective Mama Bear nearby, and bears make good moms! They usually look after their cubs for up to two years.

Daddy bears are not so good. They do not always hang around to see their cubs grow, and another male may come by the maternal family. He may want to mate with the female bear, but he would see the cubs of the female’s previous mate as rivals for his progeny and is likely to attack the cubs, drive them off, or even kill them.

So New Scientist recently carried a report that mothers and cubs in Sweden are beginning to abandon really wild areas and to live in managed forests – in fact, any place that might be reasonably close to people. Males and single females stay away from such areas, and this is probably because of Swedish law making it illegal to hunt family groups of bears, but fair game to hunt singles. What is interesting about the article is how this change in behavior is presented as if it is an example of evolution. It is not. No new genetic information has been generated. Bears turning into bears is not an example of Darwinian evolution.

Prayer: We bless You, Lord God, for You have made all creatures according to Your good will and pleasure. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.