Definitely Hyperphagia! - Appalachian Bear Rescue

We’ve been speculating about the onset of the annual feeding frenzy for black bears, scientifically known as hyperphagia but time for speculation is over. Hyperphagia is here. There is no doubt. The cubs have settled into the appropriate routine, that is: eat, sleep, stretch, yawn, and repeat. The ever-active cubs in Wild Enclosure #3 sometimes throw in a swat or bop before repeating the cycle, but those swats and bops and wrestling matches are much fewer and happen less often.

In order to provide plenty of sustenance for the little bears, Curators Tom and Quanah went apple-picking, and came back with a truckload.

Look at this bounty of apples! Wonder how long they will last.

A cub (we think this is Cosmo) demonstrates tongue-out exhaustion after a long session of eating.

Hops Bear strikes a pensive pose by the tree.

Time to rest up and recover – a pile of cubs, including Cosmo,Lemon Drop and a friend.

Lemon Drop looks out over the enclosure. She may be enjoying a brief respite from the boys.

In Wild Enclosure #4, the cubs engage in a bit of pool action.

Then, it looks like two of the cubs are plotting something against the third. What’s up?

To help everyone keep track of who is where, Curator Tori gave us this updated, current roster. The weights are not accurate today, as they show the most recent weight of each one, with the date.

Now that we are sure that hyperphagia is impacting our bear cubs, we’ll watch for more signs of the condition, and for the results of the intensive eating. Stay tuned.