Twinkle is the very small bear cub who arrived on November 14, after being rescued in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When rescued she weighed only 13 pounds a very low weight for a 10-month-old cub. Twinkle has spent the last month in the Hartley House, where she has had lots of good food and the chance to rest and sleep as much as her body needed. Today, she finally took her first step to going back to the wild when she was released into Wild Enclosure #3! Here is how it went.
Twinkle might have been surprised when the cedar shavings were in a pile, rather than on the floor. But she ate her apple slices anyway.
When she left that room, Curator Haley positioned the carrier at the door between the rooms. Hopefully, Twinkle would enter the carrier.
Twinkle was not going to cooperate. Even the Cubby Persuasion Tool didn’t persuade her. She continued to eat.
But when Curator Cole entered behind a protective shield (to shield him from view and protect him from sharp cub claws) she was persuaded, and went right into the carrier.
Curators Cole and Haley carried the cub in carrier out of Hartley House. She huffed before settling down to eat some honey.
They stopped to weigh her before continuing. She weighs 25.8 pounds – almost double her weight a month ago!
They carried her into Acclimation Pen #3.
The door to the carrier was opened –
And after almost a month, Twinkle stepped outside!
She headed right for the nearest tree.
In no time, she had climbed high in the tree!
She sat on the branch, looking around at her new world.
She came down a little bit, but stayed safely high in her tree. When she feels safer, she will no doubt come down to eat.
What a day for Twinkle Bear! Hopefully, our newest little cub, Tinsel, will join Ms Twinkle in the Wild Enclosure soon. They will have a good time!