DENVER - A bear whose photograph was widely circulated after it was tranquilized and fell from a tree at the University of Colorado last month died this week when it was hit by two cars after returning to town, probably looking for food.
A photo captured the 280-pound black bear in midair, its arms and legs spread, after it was tranquilized April 26. The animal was relocated 50 miles away to the mountains, but was struck around dawn Thursday on US Highway 36, which connects Denver to Boulder.
The spot where the bear was killed was a little more than 2 miles from the university’s campus....
Wildlife officials believe that the unusually warm and dry climate in Colorado has left limited sources of natural food for bears, prompting them to venture into town....
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Also see: A Bear of a Post From Pennsylvania
"National Zoo gets $4.5 million for panda breeding" Associated Press, December 20, 2011
WASHINGTON - The National Zoo announced a $4.5 million gift yesterday to fund its giant panda reproduction program for five more years.
Philanthropist David M. Rubenstein visited the pandas with China’s ambassador to the United States to announce the gift. Rubenstein is a cofounder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private equity firm. He is also on the board of regents at the Smithsonian Institution, which includes the zoo.
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