Here's proof that the bear lobby is much stronger than anyone is willing to say. I took this photo in a Paris subway station:
The title of this event is Bêtes et Hommes which my translator says means "Animals and Men" -- so why the picture of a bear?!
Now, I'm no zoologist, but I know there are plenty of other animals they could have used for this advertisement. Why not put the friendly silhouette of a hippopotamus*, or the awkward outline of a giraffe?
But instead the French caved to the bear sympathizers. This kind of blatant pandering to the Ursidae family would never be tolerated here in the U.S.
Don't look for any help from us, Jacques, when the bears storm your cities and pillage your croissants. You brought it on yourself.
And now, a poorly voiced-over montage of Colbert:
*OK, so the hippo actually one of the most dangerous animals to humans (excluding the mosquito, which would be a lame choice for an animals poster). Don't tell the bears -- if you thought they were a threat to our country now, just wait until they found that out.
