Join us August 3rd for WATERMELON DAY. This will be our 5th year spreading the watermelon-love to our critters. (Click here to read about our first year). While we won’t be doing watermelon carving, the bears and other animals will be doing watermelon eating. Of the over 1,200 posts we’ve published, some of my favorites have to do with watermelons: Watermelons for our Farmyard Friends Watermelon Storage Watermelons in the bear pool. and of course, Watermelon poop (take a look, it’sRead more
Posts filed in: Enrichment & Training
Wobble Wobble
The bears have a new structure in their yard! It looks a bit like one of the Observatory Towers in Queens, New York, only smaller. Keeper Autumn, and our amazing exhibits staff, built a “wobble tree” for the bears! It’s a food dispensing tower that’s nearly 14 feet tall. We load food onto the platform on the top, then the bears need to push or pull the tower to make the food fall out. Here’s a video of Mimi knockingRead more
Keeping Cool–Bear Style!
As Sarah mentioned earlier, is has been HOT lately. In addition to getting showers, we make large ice treats for the bears to help them keep cool. We usually add a variety of fruits or items that may be expiring soon to encourage them to dig though the ice. This is by far one of my favorite enrichment items for the bears! They always go right for them and spend a long time working out all the goodies! Below areRead more
Mimi Takes a Shower
Welcome to summer in the South. It’s hot. Mimi, one of our female black bears, has taken to coming to visit whomever is cleaning the bear house in the morning to get sprayed down with the hose. She’s been especially cute as the temperatures have gotten hotter. Last Sunday, I managed to coordinate my cellphone and the hose well enough to get some of her morning shower on video! Watch below!Read more
Presents for the Animals
A kind and thoughtful 5 year old– ANYA — asked her Birthday Party guests to buy gifts for the animals instead of for herself. THANKS ANYA!!! Many gifts arrived for the animals- from our Amazon Wish List. It was an exciting week for us as the present trickled in.Read more
Eggstravaganza!
I think I love making enrichment for the animals more than they like to receive it sometimes! I especially like to do things that are themed or are just really fun to make! Keeper Jill, Interns Jana and Carrie and I colored eggs and made colorful paper mache for the animals! We had A LOT of fun: Now here are a few pictures of the animals enjoying their enrichment: Read more