OnMay 12, 2020 two rangers from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park brought an underweight yearling bear to ABR, after first taking him to the UT College of Veterinary Medicine for his exam.

The little yearling is about 15 months old, the same age as the four yearlings who were released recently. However, he is seriously underweight at 18 pounds (if you recall, the other yearlings weighed from 67 to 127 pounds) and his exam revealed that he needed deworming as well as food to bulk him up. His nickname is Sparks Bear. He will probably be with us for a relatively short time and then will be ready to return to the park.

Sparks Bear is now in Acclimation Pen #4. After he finishes his worm medicine and shows the curators he is eating and eliminating well, he will be released into Wild Enclosure #4 where he will stay until he gains enough weight to go back to his home in the national park.