498 



The polar bear, a creature about -whose travels scientists continue 

 to ai^e, is probably the teacher of the first men xx> live in the ajctic. 

 In "The World of the Polar Bear" (University of Washington Press, 

 1966) Ekiard Perry describes (p. 20) the mother bear "s den. 



Tbe pa^a^e. which siopes sli^hdy upward, preventmg the warmed air of the 

 intent ^w^ IMng. leads over a k>w separation wall into a ^jadous oval-'^iaped 

 diXBibtf about six feet long and four feet wide. A ptrfar bear's den is clearly the 

 protoCvpe of the Eskimo's iglooriuk <k- scow house. . . . Mrjre elab<:»rate dens 

 have been described. One on Svalbard was divided into two chamb^s, eadi ten 

 feet k)og and five feet wide, connected by a narrow passage. One chamber had 

 xppaieaOj SMred as a biithpiace and sieeping jrtace. the other as a playroom 

 f or ttie etdJB. 



It is mv hope that these hearing and the legislation developed 

 what the mother bear did for herself in the wild to realize that they 

 must supply heat and privacy for her and the newborn cub if cubs 

 bom in captivity were to survive. These are such elementary ot^erva- 

 tioDS that it is startling to learn that they were not made for many 

 years. ActxtaUy. it is rmly one more example of what I believe to be 

 the jM^me cause for so much ignorance, so many mistakes, and failure 

 to see the obvious : that is. lack of respect for and appreciation of the 

 capabilities of ncmhuman manmials. especially sea mammals. 



It is my hope that these hearings and the legislation developed 

 from thena will establish the mammals of the seas as deserving of at- 

 tenticm in their own right, and as potential teachers of men. not as 

 mgs suttd grease for cars and food for mink. If such respert animates 

 scientific studies concerning them, these studies will be far more 

 fruitful in advancing our civilization. 



Questions concerning the relationship between Eskimos and marine 

 mammals have been raised several times at these hearings, but little 

 has been said about the knowledge which might still be acquired froni 

 Eskimos concerning these animals. For example. Richard Perry in 

 "The World of the Polar Bear." notes that the Chukchee people claim 

 to be able to differentiate between the bears which x)ermanently inhabit 

 their coasts, and the oceanic A-isitors which reach them on the drift- 

 ice. We badly need acute observers of sea mammals whose experience 

 and life style has accustomed them to make close and careful observa- 

 tions in all kinds of weather, to look and listen intently. Pro^-ided 

 with appropriate equipment, such Eskimo oteervere would photo- 

 graph with precision and artistry for docimientary purposes. Such 

 work is worthv of the most able and dignified persons both young and 

 old. and if adequately financed by our Government and carried out 

 imder .supervision of a broadly constituted Commission with a genuine 

 interest in the development of knowledge and undenstanding of 

 marine mammals. I believe it would result in the acquisition of im- 

 portant scientific knowledg-e which would be exceedingly diflScult to 

 obtain by other means. 



We need to get away from establishment attitudes. Mr. Chairman. 

 if we are going to learn about marine mammals and the ecological 

 relationships in the oceans about which they are so eminently well- 

 fitted to inform us. The appropriate employment of Eskimos as ob- 

 servers of the living animals is one practical way to do this. 



The .Society of Animal Protective Legi.s]ation will support either 

 the Pryor bill. H.R. 65.>4. or the Anderson bill. H.Pv. 10420. if the bills 



