Heather Bear, the only yearling in the Class of 2022, is back in the wild where she belongs. Heather arrived at ABR on August 3, 2022. She was covered in wounds, apparently caused by one or more larger animals. She weighed 52.8 pounds, and it was assumed that she had recently been through “family breakup,” when mother bears chase away their one-and-one-half year old cubs. At the UT College of Veterinary Medicine Heather’s wounds were cleaned and sutured, and she was admitted to the Hartley House at ABR, where she spent several weeks.On August 22nd she was able to go into Wild Enclosure #2, where she spent the rest of her time, climbing, resting, swimming, and most importantly, foraging!

The result of the foraging was that today she weighed 151 pounds! As a two-year-old bear she is healthy and of a good weight. Here is a short video of her release today. Enjoy seeing our yearling return home!

As you know, there will be many more releases to come in the days ahead, so be sure to stay tuned!