Happy New Year! - Appalachian Bear Rescue

In case you are wondering how the three cubs at ABR celebrated the new year – they slept in. Of course, it goes without saying that bears and other wildlife don’t adhere to our calendar, and don’t recognize the holidays that we celebrate. So the cubs did what they have been doing recently, they were in bed (Jessamine’s daybed) by around 4:30 on New Years Eve.

At midnight, the cubs slept on, unaware of a new year starting.

They awakened just before 8:30 in the morning. Sixteen hours of sleep is about average these days. Then they get up and go lazily about their business.

Boudreaux produced his first scat of 2020. We mention this because hibernating bears do not defecate, but our cubs are still eliminating waste.

Boudreaux scratches his back against a tree. This is typical behavior. A bear rubs its scent on the tree, to announce itself. It also helps to relieve an itchy back.

Next, he does a stretching exercise with a twist.

All three of the cubs forage for whatever they can find.

The two girls – Jessamine and Beignet – forage together.

Bears in hibernation typically do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. These cubs are doing all of the above. So the question remains, will they actually hibernate? They are sleeping longer and longer overnight, and take frequent naps during the day. But so far they have not committed to real hibernation. As we’ve said before, time will tell. They will do what they will do, on their own time. We’ll just watch and learn.