(no subject)

[rootofnewt]

wiseheron linked to this image of a purple polar bear... Don't forget to check out the slide show.


boy said, "they should keep 'em like that and sell them as pets.

yes, well, that would be a unique form of natural selection--those stupid enough to buy a purple polar bear as a pet would get eaten. sadly, most folks who could afford a purple polar bear would be old enough to have already reproduced.

more
and more


she's really so vivid, it almost seems like really, really skilled photoshop work.

Since polarbear hair is actually clear or transluscent, I wonder if it's her hair that's stained or her skin...

polar bear facts
(i like the bit about algae and green bears)

Comments

[risabe.livejournal.com]

IF this is not a hoax (and they've fooled a lotta people if it is), it looks like they painted her with gentian violet. We used to put that one cuts instead of merthiolate because it didn't burn, although I don't think it was supposed to be for that!

But why do the bars of her cage often have a purple cast in the pictures? Hmmm...

[lupa.livejournal.com]

her skin - poor girlie has dermatitis, and i know a few humans who've turned bluish from treatments ;)

[dahliablue.livejournal.com]

I saw video footage of her, so it's not a photographic hoax. What I can't understand is how deeply purple it stained her fur. It truly looked like someone had painted her. I wouldn't expect such a deep shade of purple as an effect of a medication. Then again, I've never given medication to a polar bear. ;)
.

[jkatj.livejournal.com]

I don't know what news source this is from, but I believe your guess on the cause of the color is correct (assuming this article my friend sent me is accurate):

Normally, Pelusa ("Fuzzy" in Spanish) is a plush white polar bear who attracts visitors to Argentina's Mendoza Zoo, 1,100 kilometers northeast of Buenos Aires. But, for much of the past month, Pelusa has undergone medical treatment for a skin problem that has left her snowy white fur completely purple.

According to veterinarians, the bear has a skin condition that they have treated with gentian violet, a purple-staining liquid with antifungal and bactericide properties.

The zoo's chief veterinarian, Alberto Duarte, said the medicine, frequently used decades ago, is still fairly common. "The product was and continues to be, used frequently, including in human pediatrics. There are those who use it for small skin lesions because it gives very good results and has a low price," he said.

Pelusa, who arrived in Argentina from Germany more than 20 years ago, is expected to undergo another two weeks of treatment and will slowly turn back to her normal color. In the meantime, zookeepers have separated Pelusa from her partner since 1994, Arturo (Arthur), for fear that he will be infected.