Bear Is Seen Practising Yoga

Source - Guardian

A bear at Ahtari Zoo in Finland has been caught on camera doing a stretching routine that looks very much like yoga! Santra is a female brown bear (Ursus arctos) and was caught on camera performing a 15 minute long stretching routine by a Slovenian tourist.

She started off with both legs in her hands in a V position. She then held up her left leg only and held it for a bit and then her right leg only and left it for a bit. She then repeated the routine. Throughout the 15 minutes Santra looked focussed and calm, exactly like a human does when they’re practicing yoga. A yoga teacher from Bristol told the BBC that the bear was doing expert postures and it was obvious that she was an advanced practitioner. He thought that she might have started doing yoga to keep herself sane.

I’m not sure about yoga, but I think that this routine could be a sign that Santra is not happy in her environment. If she does it often then it could be a stereotypical behaviour. These are behaviours that are repeatedly performed and show that the welfare of the animal may be below standard. If it is a one of then it might just be a coincidence.

Read the story here and see more pictures of the routine here.