In our last post we remembered the Beary Triplets – the circumstances of their being orphaned, their rescue and introduction to ABR, and the first couple of months, as they went from the Cub Nursery to the Cub House and finally into a Wild Enclosure. By that time, they had become the Party of Five, with the two Louisiana cubs joining them. In the Wild Enclosure the cubs showed their mischievous nature, as they played, foraged, climbed, swam, and most important, ate the food that the curators threw into the enclosure for them to find. Here are some highlights.
One of their first discoveries was how much fun it was to attack and “murdalize” a sapling. No saplings were safe! Swimming was popular, resulting, predictably, in wet little cubs.Another wet Triplet cub, in a tree. The Party of Five liked to hang out very high up in trees. It was often hard to spot them. The cubs were lollygagging when they weren’t attacking saplings. At 7 months of age, the Triplets showed their destructive tendencies. They didn’t always look destructive. Here is another Triplet at 7 months old. And here is the third Triplet, looking very calm.But this was more typical. The Triplets were avid wrestlers.Even at night, the Triplets were active. The Forbidden Tree was a focus of their attention. Here, one of them tried (again) to climb the tree. By September they were getting bigger, but they still stayed in the vicinity of the Forbidden Tree.Wrestling was popular even in the water.Back to the Forbidden Tree – There must be a way to climb it! Wrecking the firehose hammock became a challenge for the Triplets. They tried to untie the knots.And, of course, they wrestled. Back to the Forbidden Tree Challenge. And don’t forget the hole they dug near the tree.The troublesome Triplets in November at the age of 10 months. A good-looking group!The Beary Triplets enjoy their last meal at ABR. Note the havoc they have caused in the Acclimation Pen
Yep, it was time for the troublesome trio to return to the wild. That will be detailed in the next post. Watch for it.
