Polar Bear, Polar Bear-Up close and personal

Prior to our recent visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Keenan's favorite book was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" with "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" running a close second. All that changed after we visited the real deal.

On previous visits, we have watched this Polar Bear many a time and he always makes the same loop. But something strange happened when Colin stood by the glass with Keenan in a backpack, complete with the sun hood. The polar bear veered off his beaten path and appeared to literally be doing a double take at the strange looking pair. I might mention that he did not appear to be pleased. We could actually hear him growl (roar?) under water and he kept circling around where we were standing.

Sophia looked quite awed and appropriately, a little apprehensive about the whole the display but Keenan seemed to think it was hilarious.

All the while, there was a little boy that decided to climb up on the wall and bang against the Plexiglas every time the poor bear passed. To make matters worse, his parents just sat there, smiled indulgently, and said "Oh, are you hitting the bad bear!" It wasn't long before I wanted to want to smack the bad parents and could tell that several other folks in the vicinity felt the same way.

In the meantime, Colin had stepped back several paces to not further agitate said polar bear. I spent a minute studying Colin's profile and wondered if the shape of the backpack and sun hood might have looked a bit like a tasty seal to the bear. If that was the case, one could certainly understand his frustration at not being able to act on his natural instincts.

This close encounter with a polar bear ensured that "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" became Keenan's new favorite book. He still smiles broadly and points wildly anytime he sees these photos. All in all, it was a fun day at the zoo, but maybe not for the polar bear.

p.s. the figure you see plastered against the plexiglass is the nasty little boy.