Yesterday we wrote about Dumplin’ Bear and his preparation for release. Today we’ll talk about the two girls who were released at the same time – Tweetsie (Dumplin’s sister) and Sassafras.
Tweetsie was rescued two days after her brother, on May 6th. She weighed half a pound more, at 6.5 pounds.She had to return to the UT Vet school because of low blood sugar.Back at ABR, Tweetsie was cared for by Mary Crawley Cowe in Hartley House.Soon she was reunited with her brother and his new friend, Ferdinand. Shenanigans ensued.They became good friends.Into the Wild Enclosure they went!Three little cubs in the Wild Enclosure.Tweetsie was thriving.She made friends with other cubs, like Ferdinand.She walked down the safety log for a sip of Cubby Broth in the pool. Tweetsie was ready to go home.Tweetsie was carried to the staging area.She weighed 72.4 pounds! A healthy cub!Measurements were taken.Tweetsie was carried out to her carrier.Sassafras Bear arrived in June, weighing 10.4 poundsShe made her debut in the Wild Enclosure.Sassafras enjoyed a drink from the Cubby Pool. Sassafras was very relaxed.She went bobbing for an apple in the pool.She might have been giving herself a pedicure, or she might have been playing at being shy. Sassafras had grown – it was time for her to go home.She weighed a healthy 75.4 pounds!To keep her temperature down, the curators used bags of frozen berries.Her eyes were covered, because immobilized bears can’t blink.Sassafras is a pretty bear.Sassafras was ready to return to her home in the wild.She is carried to her transport carrier. Good bye, Sassafras.
It’s a long post, but we wanted to share the event with you. Three more ABR cubs are now back home in the wild, where they belong. Good luck and good health, and as we always say, please keep away from humans, their homes, and their vehicles! Stay safe, and run free, little bears!
