Getting Ready - Appalachian Bear Rescue

A month ago, we mentioned that more cub releases would be scheduled for January. So now here we are, and it is January. The curators opened the Acclimation Pens, to get the cubs accustomed to going in and out, and they encouraged that behavior by scattering food in the pens as well as in the enclosures.

Clover Bear will not be released quite yet – her vet visit is coming soon, but we expect her to remain with us until spring. Marmalade Bear, the smallest of the cubs remaining in Wild Enclosure #1, will remain to “keep Clover company,” since bear cubs do better when they have the company of other bear cubs. Both Clover and Marmalade are Kentucky bears, so when they are released it will be together.

Clover naps in the Hartley House. Greenery, including a Christmas tree, has been added for her pleasure.

The cubs out in Wild Enclosure #1 are rambunctious and full of energy at night

Finally, they crawl into the culvert den – that’s a very full culvert den!

At 2:00 pm (!) they were up and foraging.

The Rainbow Triplets are getting used to coming inside the Acclimation Pen to eat.

Everything is set up in the staging area. The cubs’ files are ready to go.

The curators have been working in Wild Enclosure #3. Look at the new resting platforms!

We can tell that the time for releases is drawing near. Stay tuned to see how it all plays out.