Ted in his den Today was a loss as far as writing goes. Lynn’s computer was busy being purged of malware. Lynn, Judy Thon, Glenn Hoole (Bear Center maintenance), and technical wizard Ted Parvu spent much of the day planning for the new arrival.
While we wait for the official word, the new little female is waiting in a 49 x 36 x 34-inch wooden box. We want to get her here and into a larger holding pen as soon as possible.
We assume she’ll be scared after the strange trip in the box. When she arrives, we’ll see if she is hungry and thirsty, but she will have a lot to assimilate in her new environment. We want to give her privacy and quiet time to get used to the new sights, sounds, and smells. We want her to feel as safe, calm, and comfortable as possible with her surroundings when she meets the people who will be part of her life here.
One task was setting up the old bunker den where we all watched Lucky and Ted spend one winter and Lucky and Honey spend another. The new female will spend the winter there. We will build her a new small enclosure similar to the one Ted chose for this winter. That will be a safe place for her to go when we need to lock the bears up for short periods of construction, pond-cleaning, etc.
Other tasks were planning how to videotape her arrival and first reactions and planning for a Den Cam to watch her through the winter.
We look forward to when she is at home in the whole enclosure, splashing around in the pond, climbing the new cedar tree where visitors can see and photograph her at eye level high in the branches, and she has Ted and maybe the others as friends to play with. We envision her learning where the natural foods are throughout the enclosure each season and learning the ways of the staff that scatter food for her.
We wish this bear could have had a life in the wild. We heard about her earlier when wildlife officials felt there was still a possibility she could be rehabilitated and released into the wild. However, officials eventually determined she could not be released and we agreed to take her. All parties agreed that her best chance for a good life was at the North American Bear Center. She is undoubtedly the only bear we will take in for years to come, although a rehab facility is still in our plans for the future.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center