It has been a while since my last update but things continue to go well for Grinder and Coola during their 2007/2008 hibernation period. As you can tell from the picture, the snow has almost succeeded in covering up the bear hotel! We make sure, however, to keep important doorways and access routes clear and we check in daily to make sure the boys are doing ok. We watch them on a closed circuit camera within our monitoring area of the hibernation den and have observed normal behaviors for this time of year. They get up daily and move around as if in a sleep walk to re-adjust their bed or perhaps do a bit of grooming. This activity keeps their muscles and bones active and strengthened until the Spring.
Grizzly bears can lose more than one quarter of their body weight during hibernation. The fat layers they put on in the fall will sustain them throughout the wintertime. So be sure to watch for the slim and trim Grinder and Coola a couple of months from now!
