LISTEN: Miley Cyrus Sings Teddy Bears Picnic To Protect B.C. Grizzlies

By Aaron Brophy 10/11/17 | www.samaritanmag.com

Miley Cyrus in British Columbia — photo courtesy Pacific Wild
Pop star Miley Cyrus is supporting a campaign to protect grizzly bears in British Columbia from trophy hunters. whose numbers have declined from 35,000 in the early 1900s to approximately 6,000.

Cyrus, whose hits include "Wrecking Ball" and "Party in the U.S.A.," recently teamed up with conservation group Pacific Wild to release a video where she sings verses from the Teddy Bears Picnic theme song to match footage of B.C.'s vibrant forest country.

The popular children's song was written in 1907 by American John Walter Bratton with lyrics in 1932 by Irishman Jimmy Kennedy.

The video is being rolled out as part of Pacific Wild's "Save BC Bears" campaign. The organization is asking Cyrus and bear supporters to record their own version of the song and upload it to their personal social media networks. Pacific Wild is also soliciting donations so it can continue its work.

The three-step instructions, including a download to the video, list of apps that will take video on your phone or tablet, and #SAVEBCBEARS hashtag for social media, can be found here.

The not-for-profit conservation group is hoping to close a loophole in hunting legislation that comes into effect in the province on Nov. 30 that, even though it bans trophy hunting grizzly bears, leaves room for hunters to skirt the law by claiming they killed the bear for food.

Founded in 2008, Pacific Wild is located on Denny Island, B.C. The organization's goal is to create lasting environmental protection for the land and waters in the 6.4 million hectare area of central and northern B.C. that makes up the Great Bear Rainforest.

"The grizzly bear is the second slowest reproducing land mammal in North America, one that is threatened throughout much of its range," it reads on the site. "Grizzly bears now only occupy 2 percent of its former range in the lower 48 states today."

According to Pacific Wild, trophy hunters killed 300 grizzlies last year. The organization estimates that hunting, declining salmon stock, climate change and habitat destruction have reduced the B.C. grizzly's numbers from upwards of 36,000 in the early 1900s to approximately 6,000.

"Furthermore," it reads, "bears do not heed political boundaries and currently face an uncertain future under the Trump administration, which has announced plans to hand-over wildlife management to states that may promote hunting, even while the bears are near their dens or their cubs."

This isn't the first time Cyrus has teamed up with Pacific Wild. In 2015 the singer helped support the organization's campaign to stop the wolf hunt, taking time to visit the area and learn about the issue firsthand.

Said Cyrus, "When I first spoke out, I knew in my heart that the wolf cull was wrong. But after this visit, I know science is on my side, not just on the wolf cull, but also on the trophy hunt issue. Both are unsustainable and both are horrific. Both have to end."

Watch Miley Cyrus' video to support B.C. bears

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* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.