Bear aggression

  This time of year the bears are getting more and more hungry.  We are getting closer to fall and for bears that means that it is time to pack on weight for winter.  The bear diet changes throughout the year to accommodate their dietary needs.  Those changes in the diet occur because of the behaviors that we observe from the bears.  When the bears get hungry, they display aggressive behaviors towards each other.  These behaviors include vocalizing, stomping, jawRead more
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Having fun with Bear Enrichment

Enriching the lives of our animals is a daily task for us keepers. When I have the time, I like to be a little more creative with my enrichment ideas. The other day I decided to put a table and four chairs into the bear side yard. I carefully picked out the tallest chair for Gus and the shortest chair for Yona. Mimi and Virginia received similar sized chairs. To entice them to actually check out my creation, I wroteRead more

A Look Back … Part 1

Let’s take a look back at some of the goings on in the Animal Department. Some of these critters have moved on to further their careers and education, some of them have retired, some of them have passed away and some of them are still with us in the Animal Department, just older and wiser now! I have 10 years worth of memories and pictures of all the happenings in the Department… here are a few of my favorites! KeepRead more

Last week’s snow

It’s been so busy I haven’t had time to share photos with you. Some places at the Museum had as much as 3 inches of snow, and we were closed on Wednesday. Aaron and I noticed lots of tracks in the snow in the wolf yard. Sorry, no photos as I couldn’t hold a camera, broom, pool skimmer (to break the ice and remove it from the pool), food, and bucket.   All the bears were in their usual winter Read more