What’s Happening?

Posted on   April 5, 2020
Comments are off
Category  :  Bear Feature Stories & Photos

So far, Curator Coy has not been able to entice Boudreaux Bear into the Acclimation Pen for Wild Enclosure #1, as hoped. Understandably, he’s a bit reluctant, given his recent capture and the move from Enclosure #4. But Balthazar (King B) has relaxed a little, coming down to forage and drink, before climbing back up a (different) tree. He is displaying good and typical yearling behavior as he avoids confronting a larger bear. Boudreaux is definitely larger!

Boudreaux is hesitant to enter the open gate to the Acclimation Pen, not wanting to be caught again.
While Boudreaux hesitated and foraged in one end of the enclosure, King B climbed down to forage and drink.
When he was satisfied, King B headed to a different tree to climb.
Boudreaux continued foraging into the night.

Meanwhile, over in Wild Enclosure #4, the two females, Beignet and Jessamine, are enjoying their relative peace and quiet without interruption from Boudreaux.

Beignet and Jessamine recline and snooze in the sunshine.
But after a while, they wake up to play.
They climb down the Firehose Hammock to play and destroy things. All in a yearling bear’s day.

Curator Coy is thinking of simply opening the gate between Enclosure #1 and Enclosure #2, giving the two male yearlings access to both enclosures, for more space and to allow for greater separation. Watch this space for further developments.

In a normal year, these yearlings would already have left for release in their home states, but the current coronavirus situation has put the releases on hold for the present time. These bears may end up setting a record for the longest stay at ABR.