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Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behaviour and Emotional Life of Bears
Few people have known bears as intimately as Else Poulsen has. This remarkable book reveals the many insights about bears and their emotional lives that she has gained through her years of work with them. Always approaching each bear with the same two questions in mind — "Who are you?" and "What can I do for you?" — Poulsen has shared in the joy of a polar bear discovering soil under her paws for the first time in 20 years and felt the pride of a cub learning to crack nuts with her molars. She has also felt the hateful stare of one bear that she could not befriend, and she has grieved in the abject horror of captivity for a sun bear in Indonesia. Featuring photographs from Poulsen's personal collection, Smiling Bears provides an enlightening and moving portrait of bears in all their richness and complexity.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2009
13 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 29, 2013
Smiling Bears reminded me of the best of zoo keeping. Else Poulsen writes about bears in captivity and her creative, dogged, and daring efforts to keep them happy. She weaves in information about how to read bear expressions and behavior (I wished for more on this) and tells a series of stories about orphaned, neglected, ailing, and crazy bears, describing how she tried to help each bear find a low-stress, active life within the context of a zoo. Her training in biology keeps this from being another series of cute anecdotes about zoo life, all too common in the zoo genre. She's passionate and caring, but also observant and respectful of her charges. I learned a lot about bears and I'd love to hang out and watch her work with them. A sweet read, never cloying.
November 8, 2012
I might be biased as I am a Docent at the Detroit Zoo, where some of the stories in this book take place, and love sweet Miggy and Barle's daughter Talini. (Barle passed away from cancer in August.) However, I don't think you need to volunteer at a zoo to enjoy this book. It's an interesting read with a lot of wonderful stories, not a dry, scholarly reference book at all. Plus, the plight that bears are currently facing and ways to help are brought to the forefront, which can only be a good thing.
August 19, 2012
Holding animals in captures for human entertainment in zoos and circuses is pretty cruel and wrong since every living being wants and deserves to be free. At the same time the sad reality is that in our time some zoos and sanctuaries are needed since the natural habitats of these animals are destroyed and also for the rehabilitation of abused and rescued animals. Unfortunately not many zoos meet the standards to provide a good life for animals, but luckily there are some that are trying to do so and improving.
Else Poulsen is one of the people who are dedicated to improve the life of captured bears. She is someone who did a lot in her life to help bears, has a lot of knowledge about them and also a strong love for these wonderful animals.
In this book she gets us to learn more about bears and introduces us to her work. In this book we go through many situations where she learned from the bears about the bear way of life, communicated with them and saw them show their emotions. All the bears in this book are very much bears and yet they all have their unique situations and personalities. We find out how she managed to introduce bears that had to share an enclosure to each other, raised an orphaned bear cub, rehabilitated a bear that was abused for several years in a circus, tried to cure a bear from pacing and in general brought more enrichment to their lives.
She also has a great writing style that made a book on this serious subject very entertaining and easy to read. While reading this book I have cried a few times, smiled a lot and most importantly learned many new things that I didn't know about this wonderful species before. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals.
Else Poulsen is one of the people who are dedicated to improve the life of captured bears. She is someone who did a lot in her life to help bears, has a lot of knowledge about them and also a strong love for these wonderful animals.
In this book she gets us to learn more about bears and introduces us to her work. In this book we go through many situations where she learned from the bears about the bear way of life, communicated with them and saw them show their emotions. All the bears in this book are very much bears and yet they all have their unique situations and personalities. We find out how she managed to introduce bears that had to share an enclosure to each other, raised an orphaned bear cub, rehabilitated a bear that was abused for several years in a circus, tried to cure a bear from pacing and in general brought more enrichment to their lives.
She also has a great writing style that made a book on this serious subject very entertaining and easy to read. While reading this book I have cried a few times, smiled a lot and most importantly learned many new things that I didn't know about this wonderful species before. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals.
July 13, 2022
This is the bear behavior book I have been looking for! I have read a number of books and articles, and watched plenty of documentaries, but when it comes to painting a picture of a bear's emotions and decision-making processes, this book blows them all away. Every chapter taught me something new and helped my understanding of bear behavior. Arranged like a series of short stories, it's well written, engaging, and easy to read. I loved it!
October 10, 2012
Wonderful stories of the relationship between a zookeeper and the bears she is responsible for, showing us how intelligent bears really are.
December 19, 2014
Really liked all the details about bear behavior, rehabilitation and enrichment ideas. Great read for zookeepers and bear lovers alike.
July 3, 2020
I have no first-hand knowledge of bears, but because I’ve written a children’s novel about a girl who befriends an intelligent bear (a bear who smiles, by the way) I just had to read Smiling Bears to make sure the behavior I describe in my book is accurate. Well, I found out that bears ARE very intelligent, DO smile, and in fact express an amazing range of bear emotions. This book is so well-written, informative, and engaging that I couldn’t put it down. Five stars to Poulsen for a wonderful life, career, and book.
August 7, 2018
Incredibly inspiring. Absolutely loved reading about the author’s work to improve the lives of bears and about the bears as individuals. Glad that she included ways that the average person can make a difference in bears’ lives.
September 7, 2021
Else Poulsen writes clearly and it's obvious her life is bears. I enjoyed reading about the individual bears, and how curious and smart they are. I love reading animal memoirs, and this one is excellent.
June 5, 2017
Really super book. Very informative and truly interesting read. I enjoyed every minute of it.
January 5, 2018
Semplicemente splendido
January 27, 2019
A glimpse into the fascinating intelligence of bears, and the compassion of the author who worked with them.
July 18, 2019
Love this book. Gave it to the kids for Christmas.
Eat honey sticks and some hot chocolate.
Eat honey sticks and some hot chocolate.
November 12, 2022
middle school kerins favorite book :’)
January 7, 2024
A glimpse into the fascinating intelligence of bears, and the compassion of the author who worked with them.
October 16, 2022
2020:
I REALLY enjoyed this book because it provided so many specific examples of the true and actively engaged personalities of bears.
Bears have always been a species which has intrigued me, from when I first was a child who got stuck of the question of "why do make the most common stuffed animals as bears? why do we call these things "teddy" bears?" To this past summer, working in West Yellowstone and being enthralled by the plight of these incredibly intelligent, territorial and adaptive animals.
And I absolutely adored this book because of the author's ability to respect and represent each bears individual personalities and to not just work with animals, but to work with each bear and to recognize each bears progressing needs. Additionally, it was interesting to hear about Poulsen's experiences with so many different species of bear, from Polar to Asiatic.
I also super appreciated her bringing the end of the book in the direction of protecting bears, especially those currently trapped in bear bile farms and how as a world citizen you can support initiatives which speak for the bears.
--
"Although I was a poor excuse for a bear mother, Miggy adapted out of need - her desire to survive. Many people ask me if captive bears are like wild bears. Yes, they are exactly the same animal, with a different set of skills" - XXV.
"Who are you? What can I do for you?"
I REALLY enjoyed this book because it provided so many specific examples of the true and actively engaged personalities of bears.
Bears have always been a species which has intrigued me, from when I first was a child who got stuck of the question of "why do make the most common stuffed animals as bears? why do we call these things "teddy" bears?" To this past summer, working in West Yellowstone and being enthralled by the plight of these incredibly intelligent, territorial and adaptive animals.
And I absolutely adored this book because of the author's ability to respect and represent each bears individual personalities and to not just work with animals, but to work with each bear and to recognize each bears progressing needs. Additionally, it was interesting to hear about Poulsen's experiences with so many different species of bear, from Polar to Asiatic.
I also super appreciated her bringing the end of the book in the direction of protecting bears, especially those currently trapped in bear bile farms and how as a world citizen you can support initiatives which speak for the bears.
--
"Although I was a poor excuse for a bear mother, Miggy adapted out of need - her desire to survive. Many people ask me if captive bears are like wild bears. Yes, they are exactly the same animal, with a different set of skills" - XXV.
"Who are you? What can I do for you?"
November 11, 2009
I literally (and I do mean literally) grabbed this book at random from the "Newly Purchased" display at our local library. I read the dust cover and thought close enough. Not what I was expecting, this is more memoir than science. She is one of the good guys, doing her best for bears in zoos, and It is interesting as it goes. But while introduction says she doesn't anthropomorphize the bears, she does.
November 18, 2009
I'm not really into animal stories, but my aunt gave me this book as a gift. The author now lives in Grimsby, ON which is my aunt's home town. And since my dad studies bears I thought I should try reading it. It was interesting learning more about bear behaviour and about holistic approaches to zoo keeping.
August 3, 2015
loved this book, which describes a sort of benign Ender's Game, with the addition of a lot of personal work, with bears in zoos. the writing flows and has that unique quality of peace and dignity that the best naturalist books have.
January 24, 2016
Moving and fascinating account of the emotional lives of bears.
August 4, 2014
Loved the book and all the info given
July 28, 2014
Very easy and fun read about bear husbandry. Definitely leaves you smiling.
August 1, 2014
Loved this book. If you like wildlife, you'll love this book. Can't wait for the book club to meet about it.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews