As promised, here are the first photos of the three cubs after their release into the Wild Enclosure.  It was a tough decision whether to release Marvin along with the other two.  Bonnie Blue and Ridgeway weigh about 20 pounds each, while Marvin weighed in at just under 11 pounds.  The curators thought hard about the pros of him being in the natural habitat and the cons – no more access to the foods he has been eating so well.  But because the goal is to have as little human interaction as possible, it was decided to release all 3 of the cubs at once.  The decision was a good one – Marvin was the first cub to climb up a tree, as seen in this photo.

Marvin climbed up a large tree immediately!

He did have a little longer with his mother before he became orphaned, so it would seem she taught him well.  In fact, Curator Janet reports that he is teaching the other two about climbing trees and eating the leaves.  He seems to feel “at home” in the natural habitat.

Bonnie Blue and Ridgeway stay very close together.  Here they are on the ground.

Bonnie Blue and Ridgeway seemed a little less eager to climb at first.

After a while, all three cubs took a nap at the base of a large tree.  They have many more adventures to look forward to.

Three cubs in a “cubby pile,” taking a nap.