We could have titled this “Bear Cubs Live to Eat,” because cubs, like all bears, do spend a great deal of time eating!  The act of foraging for and consuming edibles occupies many of a bear’s waking hours from spring through fall as it packs on the pounds to sustain it through the winter.  Today we have photos of each of the three cubs as he or she forages and eats food that the curators have thrown over the fence into the Wild Enclosure.

If you wonder what food is “served” to the cubs, here is the usual menu, delivered every other day and at different times to avoid habituation to a time or place.  Bears are extremely intelligent and have excellent memories, so precautions must be taken.   They get approximately five pounds of Mazouri Bear Diet pellets, plus four gallons each of apples and pears.  Even though they are eager eaters, they don’t eat everything at once, so there are always leftovers that they can find later, in the time between feedings.

Here are the cubs in eating mode.

Andy Bear finds a yummy pear. With no tree trunk handy, he eats it on the ground.

Finnegan Bear scopes out the area, looking for something tasty.

Eliza Bear wasn’t too cooperative. She shows her back view.

Eating is enjoyable but also vitally important.  The cubs are putting on weight as they should.