For Alicia Bashawaty and the children of Kennedy Elementary School in Livonia Michigan
TABLE OF CONTENTS Is It Safe 4 Gobi Bears in Trouble 6 Home Sweet Protected Area 11 Tracking Down Clues 14 Big Hairy Deal 22 Where's the Bear 27 Supplying Food and Water 29 Enter the Ninja Miners 32 What Happens Next 34 Author's Note 36 Timeline 37 Glossary 38 Source Notes 39 Find Out More 39 Index 40
4 Gobi bears have an extra thick fur coat to protect them against the desert heat and cold IS IT SAFE It's late October in Mongolia's Gobi Desert and the chill wind is a reminder that winter is coming The female Gobi bear's instincts tell her it's nearly time to hibernate So she stops by each wild rhubarb plant she finds to dig up the starchy roots to eat This is exactly the food she needs to finish fattening up before she sleeps away the winter But the wind is carrying another scent that makes her stop She lifts her big head sniffs and then moves on following her nose to track the new scent water
In her world the vast Gobi Desert drinking her fill of water means either staying close to an oasis for water or traveling from one oasis to another Because food is in short supply in any one spot the Gobi bear can't just stay near one oasis She must keep moving to find enough food But now with the lure of water so close she picks up her pace until the wind shifts again and delivers a new scent She smells people The bear hesitates but only for a few seconds Her thirst is an ache and the water scent is stronger than the human scent She plods on cautiously approaching the oasis When she rounds a rock outcropping she sees a group of people straight ahead They're clustered around something else she fears fire She stops One of the people makes a loud noise and the whole group rears up They're facing her The Gobi bear huffs a throaty growl but the water scent is strong and her thirst is great So she doesn't run Will the people attack her Or will they let her get to the water 5
