On June 10th, two of our remaining yearlings were released back into the wild. Here are their release stories, with a few reminders of their time at ABR.
Alonzo Bear arrived on Valentine’s Day – February 14, 2016. He was a small yearling, weighing just 12.9 pounds – very low weight for a 13-month-old bear.
Alonzo had been seen by a number of concerned citizens.
He was examined at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine.
In March, Alonzo was adjusting well to the Wild Enclosure.
He was healthy and growing by April.
Doing well in May.
By June, he was ready for his second chance in the wild.
Alonzo weighed 55 pounds! An impressive weight gain in four months.
Alonzo had healthy teeth and gums.
Alonzo was fitted with a GPS collar.
He was loaded into the transport cage ready for his ride back to the wild.
Next up was Wily Bear.Wily came to ABR in April as a 15-month-old yearling. He weighed just 18 pounds, a low weight for a yearling of his age. He had been seen many times and concerned residents called TWRA. He proved very difficult to capture, which is why he earned the name “Wily.”
Wily was examined at the UTCVM.
Wily settled into a Wild Enclosure right away.
Wily was very relaxed.
He discovered the Cubby Pool and took a drink.
Wily still has not lost all of his winter fur. This gives him a shaggy look, but it won’t be long until he loses the winter coat and looks sleek and shiny.
We can see Wily’s winter fur. It is a lighter color than his summer coat will be.
Wily weighed 50 pounds! He gained a lot of weight in just a month and a half.
Wily’s teeth and gums are healthy.
Here is Wily’s front paw.
Wily’s paw is the same size as Curator Janet’s hand.
Here are Wily’s back feet.
Wily has his GPS collar and is ready to go.
We have a rather blurry photo of the actual release of Wily into the forest.
Wily jumps down and runs to the woods.
We wish both Alonzo and Wily Bear happy, long lives in the wild, where they belong. We hope they remember to avoid humans!