Bonnie Blue (cub #202) and her brother Ridgeway (cub #203) were the first cubs to arrive at ABR this year.  They were rescued and brought to our facility on April 4th, when they were just over 2 months old.  On September 9th, the NCWRC (North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission) came to take them back to North Carolina.  We have photos of their workup and preparation for the trip, but first we’ll remind you of how small they were when they arrived.

The cubs were so small they had to be bottle-fed for a short time.

Even though they were very small (weighing less than 3 pounds each) they had feisty, wild spirits.  Bonnie Blue tried to intimidate the curator by huffing like a big bear.

Bonnie Blue huffs and blows at the curator.

As soon as they were lapping their food and formula, they were moved out into the acclimation pen, where there was more space, fresh air, and they had climbing structures to play on.

The two cubs in the acclimation pen.

By the time they were ready for the Wild Enclosure, Marvin (cub #204) had been admitted and the three cubs were released into the Wild Enclosure together.  Here is a shot of the three of them, after they had been together in the Wild Enclosure for a while.

Bonnie Blue, Ridgeway and Marvin in the Wild Enclosure (July).

The next post will conclude the story of Bonnie Blue and Ridgeway and their release.