A Clever Bear - Appalachian Bear Rescue

All of the ABR cubs are smart and clever. But we are focusing on Bud today. First of all, we must apologize for giving out misinformation when we wrote that Bud had seven teeth extracted at UTCVM. The actual number was just three! This is good, because obviously the loss of three teeth won’t hamper him nearly as much as the loss of seven. He is still on soft foods to go easy on those sutures, however.

How is he clever? For one thing, he has been very cooperative about taking his prescribed meds – but he wants the yogurt in which the medicine is delivered to have honey added. He cleverly has convinced the curators to make this addition for him.

Bud finishes his bowl of yogurt and honey, with meds included. Note the anti-tipping device in his water bowl.

Bud approaches his water bowl for a drink.

Bud has (cleverly) learned how to defeat the anti-tipping device.

Sometimes his bowl is very full, making a really big sploosh! We think the curators appreciate the help with cleaning the floor (maybe).

After tipping his water dish, Bud goes to sleep in another room. Good bear – he needs lots of sleep to heal.

Don’t you agree that Bud Bear is a clever and smart yearling? And it is such good news that he only had to lose 3 teeth instead of 7.

The reason he had those abscesses was that he had been eating human garbage. This is a common problem, especially for yearling bears who are hungry and have trouble finding the right kind of foods when first on their own. Remember to never let bears or other wildlife get your food scraps or garbage!