Enclosure #4 - Appalachian Bear Rescue

Since it has been decided that the Louisiana cubs, Beignet and Boudreaux, will spend the winter at ABR, the curators have worked to provide choices of den sites for them. Whether they use any of the curators’ den suggestions or seek out their own den is up to them, of course.

Several of the curators’ den suggestions for Beignet and Boudreaux. Note that they opened the gate to the Acclimation Pen and put straw at the opening as an enticement.

Acclimation Pen #4 from inside. Straw would make for a cozy den.

Boudreaux went in and out several times before deciding to stay a while.

Sniff sniff – Boudreaux’s nose works overtime.

Boudreaux looks at the forbidden door. He may remember it from his days in this pen as a very young cub.

Curious, Beignet stops foraging and heads toward the Acclimation Pen.

Beignet wants to see what her brother is doing in the pen.

She plays with an empty food bowl while he explores some more.

Beignet plays with the swingy ball as her brother climbs up on the platform.

Oops! Boudreaux is a big little bear – he slid back down.

Beignet stands up – she is a big little bear, too.

Remember when Boudreaux and Beignet were in this pan as three-month-old cubs? This was in April. How they have changed!

Boudreaux and Beignet decide to go back outside to forage some more. Enough exploration for now.

We don’t know where the two cubs will den. At least they have plenty of choices. The curators would like it if they chose the Acclimation Pen, because it would be easier to keep an eye on them, but they are bears and will do what bears do, in other words – their own thing. Stay tuned.