Our five-month-old bear cub, Finnegan Bear, needs to play in order to grow and develop the muscles and motor skills he will use when he is back in the wild.  Today we have some photos that show how seriously he takes this job – he is very busy playing!

Finnegan climbs on top of the culvert den.

He doesn’t stay long, but climbs down to go for a swim..

Finnegan is a real water bear – he loves the pool and is in and out several times a day.

After a quick swim, he is out of the pool and off to do something else.

He forages for something to eat.

Next activity is tree-climbing. Finnegan is skilled, and up he goes..

The cub has been likened to a whirlwind or a tornado.  It is obvious that he is very active, and this is good for him.  Meanwhile, our yearling bear, seventeen-month-old Lucinda in her own enclosure prefers to stay hidden most of the time, either in the undergrowth or in the trees.  Here is a rare shot of Lucinda in a tree in her enclosure.

Lucinda Bear sitting in a tree.

The magic of a zoom lens brings her closer for us to see.

Lucinda is calm as a yearling. She has outgrown the need to constantly play.

Here is an updated aerial view of ABR, with the enclosures labeled to show where our current residents are.  Andy and Eliza Bear were hidden in the treetops and did not have their photos taken on this day.

Aerial view of the ABR facility, showing where the bears are residing .

We hope that seeing this view of the facility helps you to picture where the bears are when you read about them.