Yellowfin Tune

BSc(1st), MSc(Distinction Edin.), PhD(KCL), FZS, FLS, FRAS & support a number of charities.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

In the 1980s, a wildlife biologist in Pennsylvania discovered something astonishing:

You could convince a wild mother bear to adopt an orphaned cub using Vicks VapoRub.

His name was Gary Alt.

For nearly three decades, he studied black bears and helped grow Pennsylvania’s bear population from around 3,000 to nearly 15,000 animals.

But one problem kept haunting wildlife officials:

Orphaned cubs.

When mother bears were killed by cars, hunters, or accidents, young cubs were often left with almost no chance of survival.

Most were either raised in captivity or euthanized.

Gary Alt wanted another option.

He wanted wild bears to raise them.

The problem was biology.

Mother bears identify their cubs by scent.

A strange cub usually isn’t treated as a baby.

It’s treated as an intruder.

Sometimes a threat.

Sometimes something to kill.

Gary learned this firsthand after trying to introduce an orphaned cub to an awake mother bear in spring.

The mother immediately detected the unfamiliar scent and killed the cub.

But then he noticed something interesting.

During winter hibernation, mother bears were far less aware and far less aggressive.

So Gary tried something risky.

He quietly entered a winter den, placed an orphaned cub beside a sleeping mother and her litter, and left.

The mother never noticed.

When spring arrived, she emerged from the den raising one more cub than she’d originally given birth to.

The orphan had been fully accepted.

The technique worked repeatedly during hibernation.

But what about orphaned cubs discovered after winter — when mothers were fully awake and alert?

That’s when Gary found the strangest solution of all.

Vicks VapoRub.

He sedated a mother bear, rubbed Vicks inside her nose, and introduced the orphaned cub while she was unconscious.

The strong menthol smell overwhelmed her sense of smell long enough for the cub to bond with her and her litter.

By the time the Vicks wore off, the cub smelled like family.

It worked.

Later, Gary discovered something even simpler:

Sometimes just rubbing Vicks directly onto the orphaned cub itself was enough.

The menthol temporarily masked the foreign scent long enough to prevent aggression and allow acceptance.

One foster mother even ended up raising six cubs at once — including two unrelated orphans Gary had introduced.

She never treated them differently.

Today, variations of Gary Alt’s methods are still used by wildlife agencies across the United States.

Wildlife officers track GPS-collared mother bears, locate winter dens, and carefully place orphaned cubs beside sleeping mothers knowing there’s a good chance the mother will simply wake up in spring believing the cub has always been hers.

And somehow, that’s the beautiful part of the story.

A wild animal capable of rejecting a stranger in one moment…

Can become a mother to it in another.

Sometimes the difference between rejection and acceptance is timing, patience, and a tiny window where fear has been replaced by trust.

Or, in this case, a two-dollar jar of menthol ointment.

[United Nations @UN]

Sustainable fishing is needed to #SaveOurOcean & protect the livelihoods of millions of people.

On Friday’s Day of Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated Fishing, see how @FAO is working to end this harmful practice: https://t.co/y09isbp3Hj

[Conservative Post 🇬🇧 @ConsPost]

New House of Lords Bill Seeks to Block Any #Chagos Transfer Without Chagossian Consent

https://t.co/RzUVhCNmhK

[Niamh Ní Cheallaigh 🕊🇵🇸🌻🇮🇪♿️ @CheallaighNiamh]

It is staggering to me that people are willing to give up a livable planet just to avoid the inconvenience of having to think for themselves.

The Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence: Carbon, Water, and Land Footprints | United Nations University https://t.co/eykKjcOMt6

[Dr. Maalouf ‏ @realMaalouf]

Christian children praying at their church in Iraq.

In the past 25 years, Iraq’s Assyrian Christian population has fallen from over 2 million to only 100,000. A true genocide.

Even after the horrors of the Islamic State, their faith remains unshaken.

[Matthew Dominguez @Matt_Dominguez]

GOOD NEWS: The Octopus Bill has passed the senate 55-5!!🐙

Now, it’s off to the Assembly. Fingers and tentacles crossed for a big day tomorrow!🤞

Congratulations to @theanimalvoters and @woodstocksanctuary for their incredible work on this bill.

#octopus🐙 #NewYorkOctopusBan #goodnews

[Yellowfin Tune @Pothila]

@KemiBadenoch @yuanyi_z The burka is more deadly than knives.

[London TravelWatch @LonTravelWatch]

We’re disappointed to see that average bus speeds have fallen again and are now at their slowest since modern records began

@TfL has a programme of measures to improve speeds safely. We need to see these making a difference for the millions of Londoners who depend on buses #Bus

[Laura Trott MP @LauraTrottMP]

Labour promised 6,500 new teachers. Today we learned that there are 1,900 FEWER teachers. It turns out Keir Starmer’s approach to promises is the same as he does with his messages - auto delete.

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Celebrate Pride Month With These Awesome Bible Verses

[Darren Grimes @darrengrimes]

Ah I see. Anger is one-way street.

[Vivek Menon @vivek4wild]

Possibly the commonest small deer in all of Europe the Roe is widespread in agricultural areas. Saw a few running around in bustard habitat while looking for birds including a single antlered buck! Interesting, Roe is old English for spotted which the deer is not! #mammalwatching

[Richard Dawkins @RichardDawkins]

Belatedly, a government guidance document upholds the Supreme Court ruling that a woman is – guess what? – a woman. 70 MPs have signed a rearguard motion opposing it. Presumably they think a man is a woman if he says he is. Among them is Layla Moran, for whom I used to vote.

[Yellowfin Tune @Pothila]

@Rik_w2010 @chase_blount Wareham is Lawrence of Arabia territory, a marble statue of him in the church.

[Yellowfin Tune @Pothila]

The Blue Carbunkle …

[Rosie P 🦇 🦎 🕷️ 🦭 🐌 🍃🌳🚲💧 @RosieP4]

This is utterly heartbreaking- what is wrong with developers?
The swifts are seen trying to return to their nests and the nests are no longer there

https://t.co/f3pRJMJM3T

[𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ @NiohBerg]

To remind everyone:

The entire current British establishment supported the 2020 BLM riots in London.

27 officers injured
Police horses attacked
Widespread vandalism

Don't let them gaslight you about "not politicising Henry Nowak".

[Steve Lawrence @SteveLawrence_]

Another notch on @bphillipsonMP’s @UKLabour belt ☠️

A school has been trashed by HMG every four days since 1 January 2025.

☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

So much destruction of educational infrastructure @10DowningStreet, @educationgovuk, @RachelReevesMP, @hmtreasury @Georgia_Gould @oliviabaileymp 🥲

[Blue Belt Programme @ukgovbluebelt]

The countdown begins to our 10 year anniversary event of the Blue Belt Programme on the 8th of June, suitably coinciding with #WorldOceanDay!

We'll be celebrating #UKOT leadership in ocean stewardship.

#BlueBelt10Years

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

New York lawmakers have a rare opportunity this year: to prevent a cruel and environmentally harmful industry from taking root before it ever gains a foothold

“Experts have repeatedly warned that octopus biology and behaviour make them particularly unsuited for intensive farming systems”
No sentient being should ever be #factoryfarmed
@CIWF_Global

https://t.co/hZDe9k3dh4