Grinder and Coola Emerge from Hibernation!

On Friday, April 25th, Grinder and Coola, our two resident orphaned Grizzly Bears, emerged from their seventh hibernation at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife.

After checking to make sure everything was set in their outdoor hibernation habitat, we opened the door to their bear hotel. We left a small amount of snow covering the door to make it a more natural and exciting exit for the boys and they were quick to discover that they had a bit of work to do to get outdoors! The sounds of digging were heard moments after the door opened.

Grinder was the first to emerge. The first glimpse we saw was a snow-covered snout poking through the snow and this was quickly followed by a giant bear paw pushing and scratching at the snow to widen the opening. Once it was enlarged enough, Grinder pushed his way through and, happy to be outdoors, he proceeded to run around the habitat at full speed.

Coola, being the larger of the two, needed to widen the opening even further in order to get through. He continued to work on the hole as Grinder explored the habitat. However, Grinder, not being known for his patience, couldn't wait for Coola to come out and play. So, to help him out, Grinder went back and worked at the snow from the outside. Finally, almost ten minutes after Grinder emerged, Coola was outside and the romp was on!

The bears immediately went into a full on play wrestling session. Rolling, pushing, tackling, sliding, somersaulting, running and punching are just some of the activities that we observed as the two of them let off some pent up energy.

The bears, however, have just spent the last four months hibernating and are not as fit as they will be come summertime. Therefore, this big play session was quickly followed by a bear nap on top of one of the snow hills inside the habitat. Tuckered out, the bears slept for the remainder of the day.

The next step for us, as their caretakers, is to prepare their large five acre habitat. There is still a huge amount of snow to move around and lots of fencing to get ready. So for now, I'll sign off, and get to work digging!

Excavation of Bear Habitat Begins

Hello everyone! Grinder and Coola have been stirring in their den for the past couple of weeks and that means it is time to prepare their habitat for them. We have begun the process of excavating the 17 feet of snow that is surrounding the "Bear Hotel," where the bears spend their winter dormancy period. Mother Nature, however, has not been cooperating with our endevours as the snow continues to accumulate - even in April! We have received a few more feet of snow in the last two weeks alone.

When Grizzly Bears first emerge from hibernation they begin to feed on leafy plants and rooty vegetables. Their favourite is skunk cabbage! Here at Grouse Mountain we imitate this natural diet by providing Grinder and Coola a helping of lettuce and carrots each day. We have to be careful not too feed them too much too quickly as they have not had a meal since November. We introduce the food to their environment in small increments and this allows their metabolism to shift gears from hibernation to regular activity.

Watch for more details on their emergence soon!