Two of the most recent (and needy) arrivals at ABR moved to new quarters. Townsend Bear, who arrived on March 8, weighing just 12 pounds, had been residing in the Hartley House. He is now in Wild Enclosure #2, so he is outside again, with trees, grass, and other elements of the outdoors.

Curators persuaded Townsend to enter the carrier.

They stopped to weigh him in the Release Staging Area. He had gained a significant amount of weight and now weighs 23 pounds!

He didn’t stay in the Acclimation Pen, but dashed through it and headed for the open gate!

Townie took off, literally flying outside!

On the grass, he continued to run.

He’s a very small bear, but as a yearling he has a year’s worth of knowledge so he knew what to do.

He knew what to do with a tree!

He came down rather quickly and looked around for something else to do.

He looked around for a means of escape (something every bear must do. It’s in their genes.)

He’ll take a few days to adjust to his new situation.

Townsend climbed up another tree to look around and to feel safe, because trees equal safety in a bear’s mind.

Sparky Bear was next to move. He arrived on March 23, weighing 9.4 pounds. On March 28 he weighed 10.2 pounds. The vets had warned the curators not to let him gain too fast. It seemed that he has been malnourished for a long time, so he needs to gain slowly.

Sparky entered the newly decorated (by Curators Bailey and Reagan) rooms at Hartley House.

He found his food bowl and started to eat. He will adjust to his new rooms in a few days and will continue to gain weight slowly and steadily.

Watch for further developments as the yearlings settle in and make progress. And remember – the three “big yearlings” – Mistletoe, Peppermint, and Nettles – will be released into the wild in a couple of weeks, when natural food is available!