Next week is Bear Awareness Week, but this year we’re kicking it off a little early. Because no one needs to be more Bear Aware than Stephen Colbert! If you’re a fan of the Comedy Central late-night star, you know Mr. ColBEAR has really got it in for bears—these magnificent animals regularly appear on his recurring segment, ThreatDown! (See video at right for a small sampling of his “attacks.”)

Of course, we all know Stephen is joking so we’ve decided to play along. Amid the BEAR-rel of laughs, our goal is to get out the very serious message about the importance of bear conservation.

Help Stop Stephen Colbert’s War on Bears

The ColBEAR Report

Once you start the video, you can mouse over the player to scroll between Ed and Cloris’ videos.

For this lighthearted campaign, we’ve enlisted our friends, entertainment legends Ed Asner and Cloris Leachman, to call out Stephen for his “extreme anti-bear rhetoric.” Check out their own tongue-in-cheek videos at right. (Note that the language can be a little salty, so may not be appropriate for young wildlife supporters.)

To really make this campaign successful, we need to get Stephen’s attention and this is where YOU can show your support for bears.

Visit our ColBEAR Report page where you can:

  • Sign the petition. Urge Stephen Colbert to designate May 19th as “Better Know a Bear Day” on The Colbert Report.
  • Send a bear to Stephen. Make a tax-deductible donation of $30 or more to support our wildlife-saving work and we’ll send a plush bear to Stephen on your behalf. (If he won’t listen to our words, he may just take notice of 1,000 bears showing up at his New York studio!)

Let’s all send a message to Stephen to put aside his irrational fear of bears and give these important animals the respect they deserve!

Stay Informed

Visit www.defenders.org/bears to find out more about the real threats facing America’s bears today, what Defenders is doing to help protect them—and what you can do to help.

Get Updates and Alerts