Tartan Remodels a Den - Appalachian Bear Rescue

We often see our bears, especially the yearlings, deciding to remodel various things in their enclosures. Tartan got into the act by working on a culvert den. Yearlings are very strong, and it didn’t take any time at all for Tartan to knock the wooden cover, installed by curators to keep chilly autumn winds from blowing in, off the end of the culvert.

Before he began his reconstruction project, Tartan was calmly lying in the grass.

In he goes, showing us his well-rounded caboose.

It only took him seconds to tear the cover off.

Checking it out. He seems to like it better this way.

It’s easy to get in and straight out now!

Curator Coy had to enter the enclosure to remove the potential danger (nails and screws in cover).

For Coy to enter, safety protocols called for two other curators to be with him, to monitor the situation. First, they scattered food in another area. Tartan quickly climbed a tree when the humans entered his space, and Coy worked fast to remove the cover. Then everyone left, and Tartan came down shortly after, to enjoy the extra measure of food. This was another example of the cleverness of bears!