Today we have some new photos of a few of the 26 yearlings at ABR.  We have mentioned before that it is hard to get good photos of recognizable bears.  The older they get, the more they seem to look alike and it is hard to distinguish individuals unless we have a good view of the numbers on an ear tag.  We do have some recognizable yearlings today.  We begin with Bailey Bear, who was admitted to ABR not once, but twice!  If you recall, Bailey was admitted on January 26th, and was very underweight at 16 pounds.  The next day she managed to escape from the Acclimation Pen (yes, the “escape hatch” has been repaired) and was on her own in the wild for over a week.  She was recaptured on February 4th and had lost 6  pounds during that time.  Since her readmission to ABR she has been doing very well, and has gained weight as you can tell from these photos.

Bailey Bear has done well since her return to ABR.

Bailey Bear has filled out and put on weight.

Bailey Bear is thriving now. Before her rescue, she was just surviving.

Bailey Bear is in Wild Enclosure #3.  Another yearling in that enclosure is Hazel Bear.

Hazel Bear is eating a pear – one of the current favorite foods of the yearlings.

Hazel Bear arrived on January 29th, weighing 12 pounds.  She has been eating all the good, nutritious food and has put on weight.

Hazel makes short work of the delicious pear.

Another resident of Wild Enclosure #3 is Zellie Bear.  She arrived on December 23, 2015 and weighed only 10.6 pounds.  She has been busy eating, too, and has put on a good bit of weight since then.

Zellie Bear has distinctive markings on her face.

Zellie is another “eager eater.” She, too, is eating a pear.

Another yearling who has gone from surviving to thriving is Clarence Bear.  He is in Wild Enclosure #4.  Clarence arrived just a month ago, on February 5th.  At that time, he weighed just 13 pounds.  He is gaining weight and looking healthy now.

Clarence Bear turns his back to the camera.

Clarence looks back over his shoulder.

Turning the other way, he shows his handsome profile.

Also in Wild Enclosure #4 is Cornelius Bear.  Cornelius has been at ABR since January 27th.

Cornelius Bear likes to hang out in the trees.

Cedar Bear. who came to ABR as an injured yearling on January 11th, overcame some serious problems (with the help of the UT vets and the ABR curators) and is thriving now.

Cedar Bear is in Wild Enclosure #4. He has come a long way in his recovery.

In fact, according to curators’ observations,. Cedar seems to be the “Alpha bear.”  The other 3 bears (Cornelius, Clarence and Alonzo) usually stay in their trees until Cedar has finished eating.  That is pretty conclusive evidence of dominance.

It seems that Cedar Bear is the dominant yearling in his enclosure now.

It’s always fascinating to observe the interactions between the yearlings.  When they are released back into the wild, each bear will go his or her separate way and live a mostly solitary life as a wild bear.