Bear News – JUNE 2026

Welcome to 2026 at the North American Bear Center! We appreciate your support of the Bear Center and look forward to your visit!

Current bear weights: Lucky 413, Holly 263, Tasha 314

This week on Tuesday, June 2, our bears had their annual veterinarian visit. Dr. K at the Ely Vet Clinic goes over the bears’ paperwork, nutrition plan, and checks their overall wellbeing. This includes observing their paw pads, stomach area, teeth, and checking for wounds and ticks.

Spring in northern Minnesota, other northern states, and Canada brings the thawing of snow, ice and rising temperatures. As a result, new and succulent grasses and delectable weeds begin their growth. The nutrient-rich soil gives plants the nutrients bears eat to replenish their winter weight loss. Some of the replenished nutrients are calcium, phosphorus, iron and crude protein. All of which help strengthen bone and teeth. New furled Large-leaf aster (Euybia macrophylla) pushing up through the ground is a prime food source for bears. Emerging grasses, clover, willow, and aspen are all young, tender, and digestible to bears. As the plants mature, the stems become hard and indigestible for the bears so they move away from eating it. For more information visit our website: https://bear.org/bear-facts/food-and-habitat/

At the Bear Center we plant rye and white clover. The interns will cut willow and aspen browse for the bears to enjoy.

This year, we are experimenting with different dry foods and fruits for the bears to try. Some of our enrichment tools (the tubes, donut, and box) are being updated. You may see some new items in their enclosure as we do enrichment twice a day. We will be using natural logs, PVC logs, food balls, and more. We are also giving the bears dried mealworms and a variety of sugar free dried fruits. All of which you may become part of by checking out our needs on our wishlist:https://bear.org/support-us/amazon-wishlist-2/

The enrichment tools are an important part of the bears’ daily routine and care. Enrichment stimulates their thinking process and is prime for mental and physical stimulation. Wild bears work hard for their food, with the exception of hitting bird feeders; but our bears are confined to 2.5 acres and the contents of natural foods within. Therefore it is important to replicate as much mental stimulation as possible in the form of enrichments.

The staff uses nuts and apricots for target training, also found on our Amazon wishlist. The staff began working with Tasha and Lucky last year on paw presentation and opening their mouth. It has gone well. We are following the tutelage of Lara Joseph of The Animal Behavior Center in Lamberville, MI. We are delighted that she will be visiting us in July.

Thank-you for all you do.

Sharon Herrell, Sr. Bear Keeper