LOOK. Did you also look so haggard this morning? Awakening white bear is the new star of the internet | The best of the web

That grumpy look that warns: “Leave me alone for at least another five minutes”. Those eyes skewed at six thirty. Those wild, untamable hairs. This bear comes out of her sleep… battered. Had a rough night maybe? Or a four-hour nap that should have lasted only half an hour? Anyway, everyone has stood up like this bear before. It is no coincidence that the white grunt is going viral at the moment.

LOOK. This is Chada, the big teddy bear who is taking the internet by storm with her morning look

The White Rock Bear Shelter in Ukraine shared the witty images of bear Chada on TikTok this week. The counter is already at almost 22 million views and more than 1.6 million likes. Perhaps this morning you also had this painful awakening look? Or are you saving it up for Monday morning?

Who is this new star of the internet? Meet Chada, a rare subspecies of the Isabel bear or Himalayan bear. The species is listed as endangered on the International Red List; there would only be about 300 of these animals left in the wild.

Bear Chada in the White Rock Bear Sanctuary in Ukraine. © “WHITE ROCK” BEAR SHELTER

Circus bear

Chada herself is 24 years old; she was born on christmas day 1998. And she hasn’t had an easy life. Her parents, like many other bears, were taken from the wilds of Central Asia during the Soviet era to end up in zoos and circuses.

Chada was born a circus bear and spent most of her life traveling around. When she was no longer useful to her first trainer, he sold her to someone else for more traveling circus shows; with the National Circus of Ukraine even. In the end she did not travel anymore. Her boss left her in a small, rusty cage somewhere in an industrial zone outside Kiev. She lived there for 7 years.

Bear Chada.
Bear Chada. © “WHITE ROCK” BEAR SHELTER

Animal activists at one point discovered that Chada was trapped there and turned to the White Rock Bear Sanctuary in Chubynske, on the outskirts of Kiev. Unfortunately, at that time there was no room for the special white bear in the bear sanctuary, so Chada had to go to a private zoo first. There she was not abused and she was well fed, but the conditions were still not acceptable for a bear.

Salvation

In July 2019, redemption came. Chada was able to go to the White Rock Bear Sanctuary, where she still enjoys her old age. After years in the circus and being treated badly, the animal suffers from very poor eyesight and she also has almost no teeth left. But she doesn’t let it get to her heart, according to her caregivers. Despite her troubled past, she is co-star of the bear family on the reserve and is enjoying her retirement to the fullest. And her naps!

The bear sanctuary hopes that despite the war in Ukraine, they can continue to care for their animals for a long time and safely.

Once again to unlearn it: what a great morning look from Chada:

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