Appalachian Bear Rescue added 9 new photos.

17 hours ago

Current weather: 40F (4C)- Rain

As you know, our relationship with “The Arrows: We’ll point YOU in the Right Direction ™ ”, has been fraught with misunderstanding (theirs) and contractual disputes (theirs). Last night, our security cameras caught them doing a midnight runner from the ABR office, aided by an unsuspecting Uber driver. Where The Arrows went is a mystery. When they’ll return had better be soon or it’s back to court we go! The 24-Hour Temp Agency supplied us with the only clients available at short notice: The Cherry Pie Troupe, performance artists between gigs. We hope The Arrows return: The Cherry Pie Troupe won’t work in rain and are afraid of squirrels.

Beignet, Boudreaux, and Jessamine still sleep for most of the day. They’re choosing to rest on separate daybeds but inevitably return to Beignet’s place for a group sleep-over at night. They forage, play and climb in between naps and seem content…and wet.

When we look for Balthazar, we start with his daybed at the base of a tree, the same one he’s favored since his first days in the Wild Enclosure. All bears are individuals and King B seems less adventurous than our other yearlings. He explores a little every day, using the resting platforms as a road and a napping station, but returns to the place he feels most secure.

Thank you for helping us help then return to the wild. ❤️🐻🐻🐻🐻(Arrows, please call home! ↑📞)

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Appalachian Bear Rescue added 13 new photos.

2 days ago

After a very busy 2009 season with 23 bears needing our assistance, the first half of 2010 would prove to be just as demanding. The hard mast in the fall of 2009 was insufficient to sustain the population of ¬bears who depended on an abundance of acorns to get them through the winter.

ABR CLASS OF 2010

#114: The first cub of 2010 arrived on January 9th after having been observed alone without a mother. The 11-month old cub first appeared on the deck of a residence and later returned and was observed playing with a neighbor’s cattle; chasing and being chased in turn. Residents of the Maryville, TN neighborhood reported a large bear had been hit by a car a few weeks earlier and thought this might have been her cub. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Officer Jeff Pearce captured the little male weighing 15 lbs. and brought it to ABR. While at ABR, #114 abandoned any misplaced desire to be a “herding bear” and honed his wild bear survival skills. He was released in May with several other members of the Class of 2010 weighing 65 lbs.

#115: On January 20, 2010, TWRA Officer David Sexton captured a 20 lb. orphaned female. She joined #114 and was released in May weighing 65 lbs.

#116: On February 18th, TWRA Officer Wayne Rich captured an orphaned female weighing 25 lbs. in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. She grew healthy with the other yearlings in residence and was released in May weighing 70 lbs.

#117: On February 19th, another 25 lb. female yearling was captured by TWRA Officer Scott Hollenbeck in Newport, Tennessee. She was released in May with #114, #115, and #116 weighing 71 lbs.

#118 (Gretel): On February 20th, TWRA Officer David Sexton delivered his second bear of the year; a female weighing 20 lbs. She was released in May with #119 weighing 80 lbs.

#119 (Hansel): On February 27th, a 25 lb. male yearling was captured at “Top of the World” in Walland, Tennessee. He was housed with #118 and on May 20th, “Hansel and Gretel” returned to the forest to live their lives as wild bears. He weighed 90 lbs. at release.

#120 (B.G.): In March, TWRA Officer Jeff Bishop captured a 14-month old yearling in Polk County. The severely malnourished female weighed only 10 lbs., a healthy weight for a spring cub-of-the-year, but not for a yearling. She remained at ABR until late July when she was released weighing 85 lbs.

#121 (Park 6): April would prove to be a very difficult month as bears had exited their dens and more starving yearlings were found. On April 2nd, Bill Stiver, NPS, brought a very malnourished female yearling weighing 15 lbs. to ABR from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). She remained at ABR for 131 days and was released in August weighing 70.2 lbs.

#122 (Park 7): The following day, April 3rd, an extremely emaciated yearling was observed on Hwy. 321 in the GSMNP. The tiny female weighed only 8 lbs.; another victim of an inadequate hard mast in the fall of 2009. That she survived until April 2010 was remarkable, but her poor physical condition left her with no reserves left and she died two days after her arrival. A necropsy at UT determined the cause of death to be severe emaciation, renal failure, and sepsis.

#123 (Suttles): Also, on April 3rd, Townsend Police Chief Ron Suttles found a yearling in a ditch off Old Schoolhouse Gap Road and brought it to ABR. The female yearling weighed 25 lbs. and was housed with other yearlings in residence. She was released in May weighing 65 lbs.

#124 (Butler) arrived from Carter County on April 6th weighing 20 lbs. Housed with mostly female yearlings, he became quite the ladies’ man. By late July, he was a handsome, healthy yearling and was released weighing 105 lbs.

#125 (Park 8): On April 17th, a 15 lb. female yearling was found in the GSMNP, yet another victim of starvation. The emaciated bear spent a brief time in a pen alone overcoming exhaustion and to keep her from having to compete with the other bears for food. She grew stronger and healthier and was eventually able to join the other yearlings in residence. She was released in late July with #124 (Butler) weighing 75.4 lbs.

#126 (R.A.): In a year that saw Tennessee yearlings captured and admitted one after the other, ABR had not received any reports about 2010 cubs-of-the-year until May 8th when Virginia officials called about a small, orphaned male cub weighing less than 10 lbs. Although the yearlings in residence were small for their age, they were still larger and more experienced than #126 (R.A.). He was too young to be introduced to bears that had already experienced living in wild habitats for over a year, so he resided alone in an area that offered him a safe, comfortable existence where he could observe the older bears. He could also vocalize and interact indirectly with the other bears. By summer, he had grown stronger and bigger and was introduced a family of bears rescued from the national park. It took persistence to win their respect and be allowed to join the “family,” but within a week, he had earned his place. By August, the yearlings were ready to be released and R.A. was once again, alone. Lucky for him, a yearling from Louisiana, in a nearby enclosure, seemed to take an interest in him. Although she was much larger and older, the two were introduced and bonded immediately. The female became a mother figure for R.A., and he thrived on the attention she gave him. The two nestled, roughhoused and foraged together, and she taught him to break branches from trees to make a nest for the night. He learned valuable lessons from her until it was time for her release back to Louisiana on Thanksgiving Day. Alone again, R.A. found a new companion when another bear arrived shortly before Christmas. The two denned together while at ABR and emerged in the spring healthy and ready to embark on new, wild adventures. R.A. was 104 lbs. when he was released in Virginia on April 12, 2011.

#127 (Park 9) was captured in the GSMNP Chimneys picnic area in May. The orphaned female yearling weighed 19 lbs. and was severely underweight and malnourished. She was given supplements and fed a healthy diet until she had recovered enough to be housed with other bears in residence. By August, she weighed 112.6 lbs. and was released back to the GSMNP.

#92 (Big Momma) re-admit: In March 2009, two small cubs were admitted from Louisiana (LA1 and LA2) and after spending time with 21 other cubs at ABR, were released back to their wild habitat. Both bears had received transponders for tracking and officials hoped they would choose to den together; however, the two separated and denned separately during the winter months. As winter turned to spring, LDWF discovered the female alone and wandering too close to a busy highway. LA1 had not fared well during the winter and was dehydrated and starving. She was re-captured and returned to ABR for rehabilitation; the first time an agency had returned a bear to ABR. LA1 required antibiotics, specialized supplements/diets and lots of TLC to help her overcome the ill effects of dehydration and malnutrition. The bear’s first winter alone had been quite a struggle due to the lack of an adequate food supply in the wild. It was during LA1’s recovery that a small, male cub (#126 R.A.), was admitted from Virginia. LA1 developed a maternal instinct that guided her to care for the little bear and teach him special skills that she had acquired during her time in the wild. Renamed “Big Momma,” the curator observed with amazement as Big Momma sent R.A. up trees and instructed him how to break limbs in order to gnaw bark and find bugs, taught him to forage for food, roughhoused with him to help him grow strong, and taught him to build a nest upon which to sleep. The two spent several months together at ABR and were devoted to each other; however, on Thanksgiving Day, it was time for Big Momma to return to Louisiana. Again, she was worked up, tagged, collared, and placed in a warm nest full of supplies for the long trip home. Big Momma was now a much healthier 150 lbs.; better equipped to face her second winter in the wild.

#128 (Elka) and #129 (Monty): In June 2010, two orphaned yearlings were found wandering near Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The female weighed 30 lbs. and was extremely weak upon arrival. Her brother arrived a few hours later weighing a bit more at 41 lbs., but still too small for a 17-month-old yearling. The yearlings were given supplements and fed nutritious foods. They adjusted well, regained their health, and by late July were able to return to their wild habitat. At release, Elka weighed 69 lbs. and Monty weighed 86 lbs.

#130 (Kris): There had been a six-month lull in bear admissions when Louisiana called about an underweight yearling that was so scrawny it was observed rooting through garbage to find food. The underweight bear arrived on December 22nd and was dubbed “Kris Kringle.” Kris was not driving a sleigh…. he arrived in a straw-filled culvert trap from Louisiana. Although in good health, at 40 lbs., the almost two-year old yearling was too small for his age and the LDWF felt it would be detrimental for him to face winter being underweight. Shortly after arriving, he was introduced to #126 (R.A.). Initially, R.A. was not willing to share his den and some unkind vocalizations were spoken by both bears. Kris had a bit of an attitude and R.A. wasn’t tolerating it; however, after a few days, Townsend had a snowstorm and, Kris, having short fur due to being from a much warmer, southern climate, realized that big, furry R.A. could offer him a lot of warmth. The two bears denned together on Christmas Day. Kris packed on the pounds during his stay and was released back to Louisiana in April 2011 weighing 104 lbs. ABR has previously stated “no news is good news” about bears released from our care. Sadly, ABR would find out in 2013, just 8 months after release, that #130 (Kris) was illegally killed. At that time, Louisiana black bears were protected under the endangered Species Act. Agents estimated the bear to have weighed 200 lbs. when he was shot in Mississippi. The offender was charged, and the judge ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine, as well as $3,000 in restitution to Appalachian Bear Rescue. Curator Lisa Stewart was quoted as saying, “It’s just very devastating. We had an opportunity where he shared his experience with a younger cub. Every time I would get too near the containment area, he would retreat with those noises [huffing, blowing, chomping] and the cub would follow him and copy him. Then, he went back to the wild. He was never a nuisance.”

Rescuing cubs and yearlings and returning them to the wild is very rewarding, but as with any type of work, there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. While we would prefer all our released bears live out a long, healthy life, we know that isn’t reality. Life is hard for bears and nature can be cruel. Although black bears can live to be thirty years old and beyond, the average lifespan of a wild, black bear is 12-15 years; however, bears who come into conflict with humans have a life expectancy of half as long. We focus on the good and giving the bears in our care a second chance at life, but we can’t guarantee them life, so while we mourn the losses, we must move forward to care for the bears yet to come through our gates. Each year brings more cubs or yearlings who need help and deserve a second chance at life.

You can read Curator Janet’s previous posts about all the bears who have received their second chance at life from Appalachian Bear Rescue at the links below. Thank you for supporting our mission to return bears to the wild where they belong.

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1997: tinyurl.com/sfla4p7
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2007-2008: tinyurl.com/qptpuqd
2009: tinyurl.com/w3ape6k ... See MoreSee Less