Mtn. Lion Mondays...Fun with Cabbage Enrichment.
Black Bear Holly was offered a turkey leg that required a little bit of climbing to get to. Good thing for Holly, her sense of smell is quite strong (allowing her to locate the item) while her powerful limbs and claws allow her to climb the structure in her yard. Visit her and many more daily from 10-4.
Whatever "It" is... Black Bear Eleanor's got it. She's offered a variety of enrichment both in her bedroom and out in her yard. She's really taken a shine to this curved PVC puzzle feeder. Visit her and many more daily from 10-4.
Female Coyote Siren is given access to the large wolf yard several times a week. We shift the wolf pack over to the smaller yard for cleaning, and while doing this, we allow Siren to explore the large yard. It has been very enriching for her to smell all the wolf scents, and allowing the wolves to see her and smell her scent when she's gone is a great bonus for the wolves as well. Visit the coyotes and wolves daily from 10-4.
Holly Bear takes a dip in the pool and eats an orange. Perfect afternoon at The Big Bear Alpine Zoo. Visit us daily from 10-4.
Racoon Karen has a very laid back approach to eating her peanuts. Who else uses their belly as a dinner table 🤣?
A couple of weeks have passed since Grizzly Bear siblings Harley and Ayla lost their Mama Tutu. Not much change has been observed in their behavior or attitude. They're the same ol' bears. Harley still likes floating in the pool with his favorite stick and Ayla (way in the background) enjoys foraging and then napping. Visit Harley, Ayla and many more daily from 10-4.
Bobcat Shakespeare on the prowl for some enrichment. We're open 10-4 daily.
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Wolves in the wild howl for a variety of reasons: as a social rallying call, a hail to hunt, or a territorial expression. Our wolf pack will often howl if the coyotes are vocalizing; but they will also howl if a first responder siren is blaring. Ivar is magnificent! Visit him and the pack daily from 10-4.
Snow Leopards Asha and Shanti have certainly been enjoying all the snow. Their thick fur helps them to withstand the elements. In the wild, these cats can live well above the tree line in Alpine areas up to 20,000 feet up. In this clip, the 2 sisters react to a new scent (perfume) in their environment.
Ivar's first snow day!! Visit the pack daily from 10-4.
Keeper Hailey offered Great Horned Owl Hootie some smelt as part of his daily enrichment. He really seemed to like it. Smelt will now be a part of the regular rotation of taste enrichment Hootie receives.
Wolves Bodhi, Loki, and Nymeria were offered a Christmas tree in their yard on a snowy/rainy day. They had a lot of fun rolling on it, carrying it around, and just getting extra muddy on a stormy day. Visit them daily from 10-4.
One of our newest animal keepers Greg is quite the craftsman - he built this wooden enrichment device to offer the many animals that live at the zoo. Ozzy the skunk was the first to try it out... and it was a hit. Offered a nice challenge for Ozzy, not too difficult, but he definitely had to work for his lunch. Visit Ozzy and many more daily from 10-4.
We're back open today from 10-4!
The Flying Squirrels recently received a habitat makeover and have been using all the new hollow logs and a couple of swinging ones too! Never a dull moment when working with them as you can see in this clip 🤣
We'll be re-opening today at 11am today. We cleared snow all day yesterday and still have a little more to clear today. Our wolf pack had so much fun romping around in the snow. Hope to see you soon!!
Grizzly Bear Mama Tutu turned 40 years old last week!! This milestone doubles what her lifespan in the wild would've been. We celebrated by offering her multiple wrapped boxes with part of her diet and some treats inside. Finding and tearing into these birthday presents was a fun activity, but more importantly, it promoted her foraging instincts/behavior. Wild bears spend roughly 80% of their day foraging for food. She took her time, but eventually broke into all the boxes and ate most of the treats. After a little while, her cubs Harley and Ayla joined in on the festivities. After a fun-filled day, Mama was pretty tuckered out, and Harley was still searching for treats 😀.
Did you know that roughly 10,000 years ago Coyotes began eating plant material, as opposed to strictly meat? This adaptation meant they did not have to compete with wolves as much for their resources as their diet evolved to be omnivorous. Female Coyote "Siren" receives a varied diet - mostly meat, but with some roots, fruits, and vegetables like cauliflower. Visit her daily from 10-4.
Striped Skunk Eddy was offered some mealworms hidden in a paper bag. He worked at it until he was able to tear into the bag and eat the contents. Visit Eddy and our other 3 skunks, Ozzie, Durian, and Trillium daily from 10-4.
Flying Squirrels (Truffles, Lichen, and Juniper) were offered some pumpkin as part of their Taste Enrichment; they loved it. Visit us daily from 10-4. Hope to see you soon.
