The three ABR cubs of 2017 have returned to the wild.  We posted the news of their release in a series of 3 posts.  You may recall that Otto, Rollo and Apollo Bear each weighed over 100 pounds!  They weigh a good bit more than any of the cubs that spent the entire year with their mothers, which gives them an advantage as they adjust to finding food in the wild and finding suitable den sites.

Curator Janet shared a chart that shows measurements taken during the workup process.  We can compare the various measurements and see in what ways each cub was larger or smaller than the others.  We find it very interesting, and think you will too.

Comparison of measurements taken at cubs’ workup for release.

We have two photos that were taken just a day or two before release.  These pictures really show how chubby the cubs had become.

The three “Cheery-os” ate and ate to become 100-pounders!

They were fat and healthy.

The curators think it’s possible that the little bears have already found their den sites for the winter, although we can’t know for sure.  We can be sure that they are enjoying their newfound freedom away from fencing of any kind.