In our last post we showed some photos of Woody as he changed during the two months he was at Appalachian Bear Rescue.  We promised to share the photos of his workup to get him ready for the release.  First up is a picture of Woody Bear back in the acclimation pen, where he was lured by strategically placed treats.  It is much easier for the wildlife officers to safely sedate a bear that is in the acclimation pen than one still out in the Wild Enclosure.

Woody Bear in acclimation pen.

After he was sedated, Woody was taken to the workup area.

He is transferred to the workup table.

Curators Coy and Janet helped the wildlife officers as they followed the procedures for a release.  The next photos show the materials they used.

The Bear Workup kit.

Woody’s file.

The log on which data was recorded.

Next, we see how the officers and curators work up the bear.  Important data are recorded on the log.

Measurements are taken and recorded.

Statistics are taken, which Curator Janet records on the log.

When Woody Bear arrived in May he weighed 58.5 pounds.  At release, his weight was 117 pounds!  He nearly doubled his weight in two months.

His eyes are covered to prevent them from drying out..

As a final touch, Curator Janet trimmed his “mohawk” so he would not be so easily recognizable when released.  It probably would have been rubbed off eventually.  Woody was transferred to the officer’s truck for transport to the release site.

Woody’s “mohawk” is trimmed.

Cold packs beside him will keep him from overheating.

Into the truck. He is already waking up.

Curator Coy wishes Woody well as he returns to the wild.

Goodbye and good luck, Woody Bear!

A reminder of Woody a few days before he left us – he had become a very reclusive wild bear, as he was meant to be!

Woody being wild in the Wild Enclosure.

And so Woody Bear’s stay at ABR ends.  We are proud of the progress he made, and feel sure that he will remain wild and stay away from humans.