Out South Carolina cubs have been at ABR the longest.  We’ve had many questions about how they can learn to be wild bears, when they had so much time with the curators early on.  These photos that Ken LaValley took of Bennie and Carrie Bear show them behaving like wild bears.  The curators have reported that the cubs run, hide, or climb a tree when they sense the presence of a human – even the curators themselves.  To get these photos, Ken used a long lens on his camera.  Though it seems that he was very close to them, he was actually far away.

Carrie Bear licks ants off a tree.

Bennie Bear in tree.

Bennie sits on the branch.

Then he stands up.

When he’s ready, he comes down easily.

As you can see, bear cubs are very much at home in the trees.  Wild bears use trees for safety, to rest, to eat , like Carrie Bear, or in the case of a fruit tree.  The cubs are learning their “wild bear” lessons well.