Researchers Explore Motivation for Bears' Compulsive Blowjobs

CROATIA—A pair of male bears at a Croatian zoo have been performing oral sex on one another with such frequency that researchers from Poland took it upon themselves to seek out a reason for the abearant behavior. [Ed. sorry] First, some facts. "Over 116 hours of observations were conducted over the course of six years, by a group of researchers led by Agnieszka Sergiel of the Polish Academy of Sciences Department of Wildlife Conservation," reported io9.com. "They recorded 28 instances of oral sex between the two bears, both male, who lived together in a sanctuary in Croatia." The researchers note in their report published in Zoo Biology, "All cases appeared to be initiated by the provider, who approached the receiver while he was resting on his side or with part of his abdomen exposed. If the receiver's genitals were not exposed, the provider would push his head into the pelvic region or use his paws to separate the hind legs. After accessing and initial licking of the penis, the provider would find a more comfortable posture, such as sitting or lying … once actual sucking started, neither bear changed position." The suspected reason for the behavior is simple and somewhat heartbreaking. The researchers believe that the compulsive sucking is the result of both bears having been abandoned before they were weaned. "Orphaned bear cubs," they explain, "may suck their own or their sibling's body parts, such as paws or ears, as a substitute for their mother's nipples. They may even suckle body parts of a human caregiver. ... Forced early-weaning and subsequent deprivation of proper and sufficient stimulation of the suckling reflex can result in teat-searching behavior persisting into adulthood, for example, belly nosing in domesticated pigs, or cross-sucking in artificially reared calves housed in groups separated from their mothers. In the case reported here, the provider may have found a substitute for teat-sucking that also resulted in a let-down of substitute 'milk.'" io9.com adds, "That it persisted for so long, even after the cubs matured into adulthood, could simply be because it was fun."