Meet Champa, the First Bear to Undergo Brain Surgery

Operating on animals is a bit different than putting humans under the knife, due to all kinds of different physiological and even chemical differences. But it's not like it's brain surgery. Y'know, usually. In Laos, a veterinarian recently performed the first ever brain surgery on a bear. Despite her wary -- I daresay resentful-looking -- expression in the photo above, Asiatic black bear Champa is in fact improving after her surgery.

Switzerland Just Killed Its Only Known Wild Bear

How many bears is too many for Switzerland to handle? Apparently, just one, as Swiss wildlife officials have shot and killed the country's only known wild bear, a 2-year old male known as M13. The bear had wandered into inhabited areas looking for a meal, and reports indicate it had even been following some Swiss citizens around, apparently hoping for a handout, leading Switzerland to declare itself a 'no-bears' zone in rather decisive fashion.

Hunter Hospitalized After Being Mauled By Bear He Thought He’d Killed

We'll admit it -- we've never really gotten the point of hunting. Driving way out into the woods to kill a thing when there are any number of fine grocery stores and restaurants just a short walk from home never really made much sense to us, and the sporting aspect always rang false because, well, you have a gun and the animals, by and large, do not. We do know one thing about hunting, though, neophytes though we may be: If you shoot a bear, you had best make certain it's dead, because if it's not, well, then it's just an angry bear. That's a lesson Oregon deer hunter Alex Machavo learned the hard way this weekend, when he was mauled by a bear he was pretty sure he'd killed.

Now Even Alaskan Bears Have Webcams

The internet has proven time and again that folks are more than willing to watch animals just being animals if given the opportunity. With that in mind, the good people at Katmai National Park in Alaska have partnered with explore.org to bring the Internet to their bears and their bears to the Internet. Due to being so difficult to visit, they've installed four different stations that can be streamed live for your viewing pleasure.

Monday Cute: Polar Bear Cubs’ First Field Trip

It's very warm where The Mary Sue offices are right now, so chalk up this video of polar bear cubs spending their first days outside the den in which they were born to the New York Summer. (via BuzzFeed.)

Nearly a Full Minute of a New Scene From Brave Covers Reruns Over Dinner [Video]

Disney Pixar has released a 48-second clip from Brave, showing Merida's father Fergus regaling the tale of a confrontation with a bear. Apparently, he has regaled this story many, many, may times. It's a lesson -- every kind of family has had to hear the same family stories every year of their lives. (via Nerd Bastards) Previously in Brave

New Assassin’s Creed 3 In-Game Footage Shows Devastating, Graceful Combat. Also A Bear [Video]

We've been pretty excited about Assassin's Creed 3 here at Geekosystem. Between its unique setting and totally awesome tomahawk-skull interface, the game seems pretty promising, and this new in-game footage only heightens our anticipation. The combat shown here looks strikingly more balletic and visceral than previous games, and some of the movement has an unprecedented kind of momentum and weight behind it. All that pales in comparison to the bear though. There's a bear. I can't be the only one who thinks video games need more bear fights, can I?

Things We Saw Today: Zombie Bunny

For Easter: a zombie bunny by Ruben Martinez! We don't recommend leaving out any live carrots. Or people. (via The Zombie Research Society)

Cute Robot Bear Pillow Swats You When You Snore Like an Impatient Lover

For years, bed sharing couples have done the delicate dance between annoyance and assault. One partner leads by snoring, irritating the other awake. The second partner rouses, and swats at the other until the snoring dies down, and the dance continues. But what about people who have no partner to be annoyed with their snoring? Don't worry, Japan has a robotic solution in the form of Jusui-Kun, the snore-swatting robotic pillow.