Heather Bear, the only yearling currently residing at Appalachian Bear Rescue, arrived on August 3rd after being attacked by unknown animals. She had suffered over 30 bites, and was badly in need of help. After a little over two months at ABR, Heather is a different bear! She has Wild Enclosure #2 all to herself, and is thriving there!

She often starts the day foraging, as she had done on this day, and when finished (we assume she’s full, at least for now) she climbs up to her resting platform to take a nap.

Heather climbs up the tree to reach her platform.

In a few minutes, Heather is dozing on the platform. We are glad that she feels so comfortable there.

The bite wounds have healed so that she can even lie on her back!

Her fur has grown back and the bites have been almost entirely covered!

What a peaceful picture of our sun-dappled yearling bear!

Bears are remarkable in their ability to recover from traumatic injuries. Of course, in Heather’s case, the UT veterinarians and subsequently the ABR curators have played a big part in her recovery.