Sitting up is something bear cubs do.  Ordinarily it wouldn’t be worth a headline with an exclamation point.  However, Apollo Bear was injured by a car and came to ABR after his broken front leg was repaired at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine just a week ago.  Until now, he has been lying down, resting, eating  and taking his meds.  Suddenly, when Curator Coy went into the Red Roof Recovery Center to deliver Apollo’s next meal the little cub was sitting up.  So this was a big deal.  It permitted Coy to place the food in the other half of the pen and close the sliding door so that he could clean the pen while Apollo ate.  Not only did the cub sit, when Coy placed food in the other side of the pen, Apollo walked over to it, placing weight on both front legs.

Apollo sits up in his pen.

Apollo is making good progress. It’s good for him to move some, just so he doesn’t climb yet.

Apollo is also increasing his food intake – he, too, is displaying the effects of hyperphagia, the fall feeding frenzy that causes all bears to increase their food intake.

Out in the Wild Enclosure, we see that Otto and Rollo, the other two cubs, are foraging with noses to the ground.

Rollo and Otto – noses down, nubbins up.

Rollo and Otto search for treats.

Otto finds some yummy grapes.

Rollo looks up from his foraging for a moment.

Busy cubs, finding good food.

Three little cubs, eating and growing.  Stay tuned to see how Apollo progresses and how chubby all of the cubs will be.