Cold comfort for global warmists

Published on Thursday 10 December 2009 20:29

A RECURRING problem with animals is that they seldom quite behave in the way humans expect.

Take Mercedes, the polar bear and Edinburgh Zoo's former star attraction. Mercedes was moved north to the Highland Wildlife Park with the expectation that she would roam free in the colder climes. Her transfer cost 75,000 and involved the use of a giant rhino crate. The hope was that with conditions similar to that of her native Canada, Mercedes would romp with gay abandon in the freezing conditions, freed from the debilitating heat of Edinburgh. As the first snows fell on Kingussie, families gathered with cameras expecting perfect photographs of Mercedes enjoying her new habitat.

ut guess what? Mercedes stuck up her proverbial two paws and stayed in her enclosure, determined to see out the cold snap in warmth and to avoid the snowy outdoors. What a blow may have been struck against the global warmists, who have played on the theme of the threatened polar bear as the planet warmed up. Clearly Mercedes doesn't share the human panic over global warming. Her behaviour would appear to indicate that she would like to see a lot more of it. Perhaps we should establish a kitty to fly her out to South Africa for a winter break of sunbathing in Cape Town. Mercedes would seem to be up for it, bar of course the Ryanair surcharge for the extra paw room.