As promised in our last post, we will recap the ABR life of Sparks, the yearling, and then show the events of his release. This will have to be a two-part post, with the rest coming next time.
On arrival, Sparks was 15 months old, and weighed just 18 pounds. He was underweight for his age, due to his deficient diet. He was only finding grass to eat.He spent a few days in Acclimation Pen #4.Sparks was released into Wild Enclosure #4.He played with a chain that had held a swingy ball, trying to pull it down.He spent a lot of time on his resting platform.He gradually started to shed his winter coat.As his winter coat was shed, he was gaining weight.He showed that he was a good climber.Sparks stayed near his resting platform.In late July he showed off his (almost complete) summer coat.He showed good wild bear behavior by blowing at the camera.Sparks had become a chonk!More good bear behavior – he ripped bark off the tree, while sitting in his tire.Sparks attacked a swingy ball in Wild Enclosure #3, after he moved.The swingy ball knocked him to the ground!Sparks slept on his platform just before his release date.He was lured into Acclimation Pen #3 by grapes smeared with honey. He spent the night before his release in the pen.
Next, we’ll show how Sparks Bear was worked up and then released back into the wild. Be sure to stay tuned!
