Now that all three of the cubs are together in the large Acclimation Pen, they are enjoying the delicious and healthy foods that the curators prepare.  Doesn’t this look delicious?

“Cub salad” prepared by the curators each day, using fresh fruits and vegetables.

The cubs are learning to eat foods that are similar to those they would find in the wild.  In the spring, bears eat roots and grasses and leaves.  The carrots are root vegetables, and the lettuce is similar to the grasses and leaves in the wild.  Grapes are offered because they are soft and easy to chew and digest – and the cubs love them!  In a few weeks, when they would be ripe in the wild, berries will be added to the menu.  And of course they still receive formula.  If they were with their mothers, they would still be nursing.

Grapes are a favorite!

As you can see, the curators have sliced the grapes in this bowl.  This makes them easier for the cubs to eat.

This cub has taken a bite of food out of the bowl.

The curators place several bowls of food in the pen at a time.  However, cubs may decide that they all want the same bowl.  A bowl of food is viewed by a cub as his (or her) “territory.”  Just as a grown bear defends their territory, a cub will defend the bowl of food.