There may be times in your life when certain things don’t go your way and you think to yourself, “Man, I am the unluckiest being ever!” But we’re here to tell you you’re not. No matter what you’ve been through, at least you’ve never been mistaken for some other person, tranquilised, and then forcefully sent to a hostile habitat! Sounds horrifying and oddly specific, doesn’t it? Well, that’s what happened to Joey – an albino grizzly bear – not once, but five times!
Meet Joey, An Albino Grizzly Bear Who Gets Mistaken For A Polar Bear
A group of Canadian conservationists mistook an albino grizzly bear for a polar bear and transported it over the Arctic Circle. Waking up in the ice, the bear went out to the polar explorers, the Trendymen newspaper reports.
An albino grizzly named Joy suddenly disappeared from a… pic.twitter.com/eaFHUFcrkL— Olena Rohoza (@OlenaRohoza) June 4, 2024
According to an article which was recently published by The Times Of India or TOI, the albino grizzly bear was misidentified and sent to the Arctic five times. In 2021, a group of conservationists in Canada spotted Joey in the forests. His fur looked white and hence, he was mistaken for a polar bear.
He was subsequently tranquilised and air-lifted to the Arctic. When Joey came to, he was taken aback by the sudden change in his environment and struggled to adapt. Nevertheless, it persevered. Soon, local wildlife experts in the Arctic realised that Joey was not a polar bear.
His fur was yellowish as opposed to a whiter shade, he was smaller than other polar bears and his behaviour differed significantly. They realised he was an albino grizzly bear and soon found out that he was from Canada. They sent him back but that wasn’t the end.
Internet Calls Him “The Unluckiest Bear In The World”
“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Albino Grizzly Bear begging the well intentioned activists to leave it alone pic.twitter.com/kJi5Stn7N3
— Audrey (@auderdy) June 28, 2024
In 2022, another group of conservationists spotted it in Alaska and again, the poor animal was transported to the harsh cold of the North Pole. He was again sent back after authorities realised their mix-up. This happened three more times.
This entire ordeal prompted the Internet to raise awareness about the existence of albino grizzly bears. He was also dubbed the “unluckiest bear in the world” by many netizens. Take a look at the maelstrom of memes prompted by the story of this poor bear: –
GM GM
Happy Sunday everyone, here is Sunday story about the unluckiest Joey 😂
Think you’re having a bad day? You could be an albino grizzly bear 😂 pic.twitter.com/r3F7Zo08Vs
— WhodatJoey (@WhodatJoey) June 30, 2024
“So the thing is he wasn’t even a polar bear, he was an albino grizzly bear. Do you know what that is? It’s like us but it’s from a different country. I’ve actually been to many countries you know. Have you had salmon. You should try salmon” pic.twitter.com/kCNzmcRrt5
— Aidan O’Donnell (@TheToiletDuck) June 28, 2024
Have you ever heard of such an incident happening before? Let us know in the comments section below!
Cover Image Credits: @OlenaRohoza/X (Formerly, Twitter)
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