Bear News – October 22, 2022

Ted Bear

Ted is gentle and trusting to his human caretakers. Ted and Honey (now deceased, 2016) were raised together for ten years in captivity in Wisconsin. Ted was the smallest of three cubs. He is black most of the year but bleaches to dark brown in mid-summer when he begins shedding.

After a decade of caring for Ted and Honey, their owners were faced with new insurance rules that prevented them from keeping the bears any longer. They asked the North American Bear Center to give their beloved bears a home, and they arrived at the center on April 28, 2007, just prior to our opening in May 2007.

Ted’s pleasant vocalizations assures us that he is trusting of his caretakers, but he reacts to Lucky as wild males would react to one another when a female is present during mating season. The years of playfulness with his playmate Lucky changed in 2012 when Lucky matured and became competition.

As Ted gets ready for hibernation, he has become more lethargic, as the other three bears have. He is pleasant to watch and keeps many people happy as they have their morning coffee or dinner with Ted.

Ted will get plenty of straw to make his transition into hibernation more comfortable for him. He will be ready in the spring. hopefully greeting us with his gentle woots and need for food. To read more about Ted, click here.

Ted in den

Thank you all for following my Weekly Bear News. This will be the last regular update for the season. I’ll be back with brief updates as the bears hibernate.

Thank you for all you do for our bears,
Sr. Bear Keeper, Sharon Herrell