It tries to smell the way out

A bear in their enclosure, photographed through the window of the cafe. Beside the bear there are tree trunks, and trees and a concrete wall in the background. In the front can be seen some furniture in the cafe and light reflections in the window glass.

In a plain drawing, there is a big rock, mostly hiding the body of a bear. Only their legs can be seen from behind the rock. Above the rock there is something brown visible, perhaps a crown?

“It seems like it is trying to find the way out. It smells something”, a five-year-old states, as a bear walks behind a thick glass.

A moment of silence follows, as we are observing the bear.
“It tries to smell the way out” states the child.
“Do you think it wants to get out of there”, I ask.
“Yeah”, the child answers shortly.
“Why do you think it wants out of there?”
“I don’t know, it looks like that.”
The bear walks in their rocky enclosure, our gazes following its movements.
“That is the king of the forest although it doesn’t have a crown nor a castle.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“In a programme.”
We dig pens and papers out of the backpack. The child draws a picture of a bear disappearing behind a stone.

(researcher’s field notes at the zoo)

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