April was a busy month for releases of the yearlings at ABR.  On April 28th, two more of our yearlings were released back into the wild to have their second chance at the lives they were meant to live.  We have photos of them in earlier days and on the release day.

Tiny Tim arrived at ABR as one of the starving, malnourished cubs that were almost yearlings in November 2015.

In November, Tiny Tim weighed just 11 pounds.

The little bear was ten months old and should have weighed 40 or more pounds.  Our 3-month-old cub, Finnegan Bear, weighs over eleven pounds now.

Tiny Tim in his Acclimation Pen in November.

He stepped out into the Wild Enclosure in November.

He foraged in the Wild Enclosure in December, gaining weight.

All of these starving almost-yearlings ate voraciously, as if they were in hyperphagia, the feeding frenzy that causes bears to eat great quantities of food.  Normally, this hits bears in the fall, as they prepare their bodies for hibernation.  There had not been enough food in fall, so these starving little bears were making up for lost time.  They continued to eat through the winter.

By February, all the foraging had helped Tiny Tim to grow much larger.

This portrait of Tiny Tim was taken in April.

Tiny Tim is examined by UT Vets and interns on his release day.  He weighed 73 pounds!

His teeth are strong and healthy.

Tiny Tim is carried to the truck that will take him back to the wild.

He is no longer tiny, so as he is released we feel that Timothy Bear is a more fitting nickname.  Of course, the ABR bears are more properly identified by their numbers, which is how the curators and wildlife officers refer to them.

Julius Bear was also released on April 28th.  Julius arrived in February as a thirteen-month-old yearling bear.  His weight was 27 pounds, which was very low for a yearling.  Here is his story in pictures.

Julius Bear weighed 27 pounds in February – about half what a yearling should weigh.

Curator Janet assisted with his exam at the UTCVM.

In March Julius was out in his Wild Enclosure.

Julius climbing a tree in the Wild Enclosure.

Portrait of Julius in April.

Another portrait of Julius earlier in April.

April 28 – Julius was examined by the UT vet team.  He weighed 70.5 pounds!

Julius had a healthy mouth and good teeth.

Workup finished, Julius was ready to return to the wild.

We are happy that these two yearlings are well-prepared for their wild lives, and we wish them the best of luck in their new adventures, back where they belong.