As we have reported before, ever since Colton Bear was released into the Wild Side enclosure, he has had no contact with humans, not even the curators.  He forages for the food that is thrown over the fence to him.  As you can see in this photo of Curator Rick, peeking through the fence below the blinds, it is difficult for our curators to tell what he is up to.  That is as it should be, of course, if he is to continue to develop his wild behavior.

This also means, of course, that our photographer has a real challenge when it comes to getting photos of our elusive Colton!  Here is a photo that depicts some of the challenges.  She tells us that she must work around 3 layers of fencing, including the electrified wires, while kneeling on rough ground and tree roots.  She uses a large lens to make the photos appear that she is very close to the bear, while in reality she is quite far away.  We think she does an amazing job!

And now, since we know that what you really want to see  is those photos of Colton, here are some images of him “playing hide and seek,” as our photographer describes it, and trying to avoid being seen.