A fourth needy yearling bear has been admitted to ABR. On May 14th, a small yearling was repeatedly seen in a yard in Pittman Center, near Gatlinburg. TWRA captured the small female and took her to ABR; the next morning Curators Coy and Tom took her to the UT College of Veterinary Medicine for her exam.

Iris Bear, as she was nicknamed, weighed 19.8 pounds, which is about half of what a fifteen-month-old yearling should weigh.

Although she was basically healthy, Iris Bear was covered with ticks. Ticks are a problem for bears in the wild. Normally they don’t cause problems, but for an underweight bear they can deplete the animal’s health. The ticks have to be picked out with tweezers, one at a time.

After the ticks were removed, Iris Bear was transported back to ABR, where she was placed in Acclimation Pen #2.

As soon as the curators are assured that she is eating and eliminating well (she is on the usual de-worming regimen) Iris Bear will be released into Wild Enclosure #2 and will have the enclosure to herself!

We have another introduction – in addition to our new bear, ABR has a new intern on our team. Arin has just finished her second year as a student in the UT Veterinary Program. She will be a summer intern at ABR. We know she will be a big help to the curators and a great member of the staff.

Welcome to our new intern, Arin, and to our fourth yearling bear, Iris!