March is when we start thinking about the grass in the bear yard again. We always seed, aerate and fertilize the bear yard in March- we mow too. We have everything we need on hand to proceed: LOTS of seed (we over seed), a little natural fertilizer (we don’t use/need much as the bear yard gets lots of natural fertilizer), our aerator, Kent (he’s the tractor driver), me, and the tractor. As you can see, the tractor is out ofRead more
Posts tagged: #bear exhibit
QuikPost: Icing of the Bear Pool
It’s been so cold that the waterfall in the bear exhibit has been freezing over. You can see all the ice building up. It’s beautiful, but it can cause issues.Do you know what two issues we are worried about when this happens? Leave me your ideas in the comment section. Also, look closely at the second picture. Gus is standing on the middle pool which is already iced over.Read more
Oh no, someone’s in the bear pool! Oh wait, it’s just Sherry…
You may have read a post recently about the bear pool getting its annual cleaning. Well, the day after we finished, one of the drain covers at the bottom of the pool was seen in the middle of the exhibit yard (no doubt having been used as a toy for our playful bears). We had to get the drain cover back on, and Sherry volunteered herself for the job. She doesn’t usually get to help us with daily routines, butRead more
It’s fall, the bears are eating more…
…and I have found yet another fascinating artifact from the bear yard: They get whole ears of corn in their diet weekly and we usually find random pieces of cob and husk around. This empty cob, however, looks like one of the bears delicately devoured it end to end, manual typewriter style. I’m betting it was Mimi!Read more
Bear Pool Cleaning coming up.
This coming Sunday and Monday is when we drain the bear pool and begin the big clean. It is a time intensive and physically draining project, and kind of gross too. Kent, Katy and Marilyn will be staying into the evening hours on Sunday. All the Monday Keepers are coming in early, and Erin is coming in on her day off to help. Click here to read about what’s involved in this project and see photos from last year’s bearRead more
Ice sculptures in the bear yard
It is hard to believe since it is almost 70 degrees today but just a few days ago there was quite an ice build up in the bear exhibit by the waterfall. While we were in the exhibit on Thursday to scoop poop and scatter enrichment I snapped a few pics. Sherry noticed that water splashing onto the grass had formed some “ice mushrooms”. If you are ever at the bear exhibit and see ice build up you may alsoRead more