Woman mauled by polar bear

[Michiko_Dreads]

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A polar bear attacked a woman at Berlin Zoo Friday afternoon after she climbed a fence and jumped into its habitat during feeding time, police said Saturday.

The bear attacks the woman during feeding time.

One adult polar bit her several times after she plunged into the moat, police said.

Zoo workers tossed rescue rings toward the woman to hoist her out and distract polar bears swimming nearby, said Goerg Gebhard, a Berlin police officer.

At one point the woman fell back into the water and was grabbed by a bear before she was eventually hoisted to safety.

"They saved her life," Gebhard told CNN.

The woman was severely injured and was being treated at a hospital, police said. Watch polar bear attack woman »

It's unclear why the woman entered the bear habitat, but police issued her a citation for trespassing.

Berlin Zoo is home to Knut, the first polar bear to be born there in over 30 years. The bear became a huge talking point in Germany when his mother gave birth to him in December 2006.

[Michiko_Dreads]

Did she think she was in a Coca-Cola commercial???

[Rev.Reverence]

HOLY STUPID!

[Azeuron]

Sometimes the universe does its own garbage collection... this is a good example i think.

[pomba gira]

Kind of interesting how people seem to react to this kind of incident nowadays... time was, the average person would assume this woman was mentally ill rather than writing her off as "stupid" and "garbage". Just a thought, of course errone is entitled to their own opinion.

[Azeuron]

Kind of interesting how people seem to react to this kind of incident nowadays... time was, the average person would assume this woman was mentally ill rather than writing her off as "stupid" and "garbage". Just a thought, of course errone is entitled to their own opinion.

"garbage collection" was a reference to a programming term, not necessarily calling her garbage.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Wow. Polar Bears are the only animal that activily hunts humans. There is a reason you dont see many up close picks of these things in the wild.

She has to have some mental defect... she was swiming toward the bears.

[Rev.Reverence]

Kind of interesting how people seem to react to this kind of incident nowadays... time was, the average person would assume this woman was mentally ill rather than writing her off as "stupid" and "garbage". Just a thought, of course errone is entitled to their own opinion.

Sweety..I am mentally ill...if someone jumps the fence..I'ld call that stupid (I did)...mental deficient seems more appropriate..but it is still Lent..& I took up "being nice" & yeah..even in nice-land...that is stupid.

....nicest was to say "isn't that stupid":

WOW; what an absolutely marvelous manner of communicating a sub-par Intelligence Quotient.

..well..maybe it wasn't NICE...but it was at least proper..& not purpousfully mean.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Rev.Reverence

[ttogreh]

Well, she was either mentally incapacitated, or suicidal. Sane people don't jump into polar bear enclosures. Still, this does seem like prime material for a Darwin Award "honorable mention", as long as we are being mean.

[Slogo]

Well, she was either mentally incapacitated, or suicidal. Sane people don't jump into polar bear enclosures. Still, this does seem like prime material for a Darwin Award "honorable mention", as long as we are being mean.

ditto

[pomba gira]

Sweety..I am mentally ill...if someone jumps the fence..I'ld call that stupid (I did)...mental deficient seems more appropriate..but it is still Lent..& I took up "being nice" & yeah..even in nice-land...that is stupid.

So am I, technically... like anything else there are degrees. For a schizophrenic person in a decompensated state, jumping into a polar bear enclosure could seem like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. She could have been totally convinced that the bears were calling her and promising not to hurt her. Hell, she could have been convinced that SHE was a bear in some form or fashion.

[Oh_My_Goth]

[Mean Salley]

You have to prove

That you're not scared

Enter the cage

Take the dare

Screaming death

In the beast's lair

You couldn't read the signs

DON'T FEED THE BEARS

Don't go in there

You best beware

Don't feed the bears

Stupid fool

You should have known

That's some place you shouldn't go

Polar giant on you

Blood starts to flow

They belong not in a cage

But in the fucking snow

Don't go in there

You best beware

And please don't feed the fucking bears!

(MOD- Don't Feed The Bears)

Edited April 13, 2009 by Mean Salley

[Homicidalheathen]

Its called survival of the fittest...she is not fit in the head so why help dumb ass survive...shoulda left her to be eaten prob made a good show.

[Vampyrerin]

Its called survival of the fittest...she is not fit in the head so why help dumb ass survive...shoulda left her to be eaten prob made a good show.

Welcome to the age of Anti-Darwin,

Go see the movie Idiocracy.

[Der Nister]

People do crazy things everyday.

It's just a matter of how crazy these things are and if there's a crowd to witness the moment.

[Destroit]

So am I, technically... like anything else there are degrees. For a schizophrenic person in a decompensated state, jumping into a polar bear enclosure could seem like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. She could have been totally convinced that the bears were calling her and promising not to hurt her. Hell, she could have been convinced that SHE was a bear in some form or fashion.

With this...why was she at a zoo?

I guess it's good they got her out, if they didn't then oh well. Can't save them all nor should anyone try, you're fucking with nature if you do, imo. As in, if you're there and can help, then do, if you help and the person still dies, then you tried, if nobody is around and someone loopy like this jumps in the water and gets mauled a bear...then you can't save 'em all.

[Destroit]

Its called survival of the fittest...she is not fit in the head so why help dumb ass survive...shoulda left her to be eaten prob made a good show.

Also my sentiment exactly.

[ManicQueen]

I just wanna see the video footage of this.

[Shade Everdark]

You see, this is what global warming gets you!

You destroy their habitats in the Arctic, and the polar bears retaliate by mauling people at zoos.

Let this be a lesson to all of you.

[pomba gira]

You see, this is what global warming gets you!

You destroy their habitats in the Arctic, and the polar bears retaliate by mauling people at zoos.

Let this be a lesson to all of you.

haha THE ANIMAL CONSPIRACY!!! Tim Bedore was right!

[TitsMcGee]

This reminds me of the chinese dude who broke into the panda enclosure to give it a hug.

[the eternal]

All of my sensitivity has come from Qantas travel promos, Kung Fu Panda, and Coca Cola ads, so I'm probably unfairly biased on this subject.

That said, I do hope the woman made it through okay, and gets the help she needs.

In the meantime, go rent "Grizzly Man"

It's a doc about a man who thought he was a kindred spirit to grizzly bears, until one said spirit ate him and his girlfriend for lunch.

[pomba gira]

In the meantime, go rent "Grizzly Man"

It's a doc about a man who thought he was a kindred spirit to grizzly bears, until one said spirit ate him and his girlfriend for lunch.

Well, he did say in one interview that he'd be honored to end up as grizzly scat...

Never seen the film, do they incorporate the actual audio of the couple being eaten alive? Supposed to be pretty harrowing to listen to.

[Reaper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0pFaQluCZo

Here is the video. Looks like they only started shooting it after she climbed over everything and jumped in.