Appalachian Bear Rescue

02/08/2025

ABR Daily Update-February 8, 2025-Progress 👷‍♀️

Weather: 72F (22C) Humidity 55%, Mostly cloudy. 🌥️

Work rehabilitating the Wild Enclosures continues. The curators have taken down the resting platforms and tire bridges in Wild Enclosures #1 & #2 and have started the controlled burn. Everyone is on call when a burn is scheduled, watching for errant sparks and tending the fire so that it will burn slowly and evenly. Every day bring us a little closer to getting the cleaning of the enclosures done.

There's still time to sign up for the Mardi Gras Party. The date is March 1st. The time is 6:00-9:00 p.m. The place is the Willow Ridge Event Center in Townsend, Tennessee. Join us for a shrimp boil with all the fixins and fellowship with fellow ABR supporters, ABR Staff and ABR Volunteers. ALL PROCEEDS from the tours and the Mardi Gras Party support the renovation projects at our bear facility. We hope to see you on March 1st!

https://appalachian-bear-rescue.myshopify.com/products/abr-mardi-gras-party

❤️Please consider donating to Appalachian Bear Rescue’s Bear Necessities Fund.�https://bit.ly/3Zhmi48

🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
https://appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/

🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.

*We post one update daily, seven days a week.

02/07/2025

ABR Daily Update-February 7th 2025-More On Prescribed Fire 🐻🔥

In Wednesday's Facebook Live, Katrina and Tori talked about the recent prescribed burn conducted in ABR's Wild Enclosure 1. Prescribed fire is a useful conservation tool for many wildlife and land managers across the globe. In the below video, Parks Canada does a fantastic job at explaining their use of prescribed fire to restore grizzly bear habitat in the Rocky Mountains. We hope you enjoy. 😊

https://youtu.be/VGmosy-vHfI?si=xX1j4kHcG1zxOE4y

🎫 Tickets for our upcoming bear facility tours are SOLD OUT. Thank you so much for your support. We cannot wait to host you. Tickets for the Mardi Gras Party are still available for purchase in our online store. The tickets are $100 and include an all-you-can-eat shrimp boil with all the "fixins". Join the ABR staff, volunteers, supporters and friends for three hours of fun, food and ursine fellowship. You can purchase your tickets here: https://appalachian-bear-rescue.myshopify.com/products/abr-mardi-gras-party

Grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains like open habitat, but a lot of this habitat has been replaced by dense forest. Discover how Parks Canada fire specialis...

02/07/2025

February 6, 2025: Dodging the Downpours:

It rained (sometimes poured) off and on today in Townsend. A raindrop doesn't stop the ABR team, though. Curators Greg and Jamie worked on taking down the tire bridge in Enclosure 1. We will likely continue to use tire bridges, but when we rebuild the platform structures, we know the tire bridge won't end up in the same place. The work is difficult, but we see progress with each project. That makes us happy and gets us ready for the cubs of the Class of 2025.

While it rained, Curator Jamie prepared for a presentation and Curator Seth updated our facility projects document. Curator Katrina doubles as our ABR Volunteer Coordinator. She's been busy planning a volunteer team meeting. JoAnne is busy welcoming you at the ABR Visitor Center. There's always something to do at ABR!

Thank you for your overwhelming support for our Bear Facility Tours and our Mardi Gras Party. There is 1 seat left on the 8:00 a.m. tour. All other tour slots are sold out. We can't wait to welcome all of you to our place.

There's still time to sign up for the Mardi Gras Party. The date is March 1st. The time is 6:00-9:00 p.m. The place is the Willow Ridge Event Center in Townsend, Tennessee. Join us for a shrimp boil with all the fixins and fellowship with fellow ABR supporters, ABR Staff and ABR Volunteers. ALL PROCEEDS from the tours and the Mardi Gras Party support the renovation projects at our bear facility. We hope to see you on March 1st!
https://appalachian-bear-rescue.myshopify.com/products/abr-bear-facility-tours-and-mardi-gras-party

02/05/2025

February 5, 2025: Bear Facility Tours AND a Mardi Gras Party - It's all FOR THE BEARS!

For the first time in six years, ABR will host ABR Bear Facility Tours on Saturday, March 1st. After a fun and informative tour day, we will finish the evening at Willow Ridge Event Center in Townsend for a Mardi Gras Party. Come and join us to tour the bear facility and then stay for some Mardi Gras fun and fellowship with other bear friends.

Tour tickets and Mardi Gras Party tickets are SEPARATE TICKETS. You choose the events that you would like to attend on Saturday, March 1st.

All proceeds from the facility tours and the Mardi Gras Party support the ABR bear facility renovation projects currently underway.

TOURS OF THE ABR BEAR FACILITY AND MARDI GRAS PARTY When: Saturday, March 1st What: Tours of the ABR Bear Facility AND Mardi Gras Party (separate event) How does it work: Purchase your tour ticket. If you would like to join us at the Mardi Gras Party, purchase a separate ticket for the event. All pr...

02/05/2025

Wild Enclosure 1 has been successfully burned!! 🔥 Join Tori and Katrina to get all of your questions answered about the benefits of prescribed fire.

02/03/2025

ABR Daily Update-February 3, 2025-Preparing the Burn 🔥

Weather: 69F (21C) Humidity 34%, Sunny 🌞

Yesterday, ABR Executive Director, Dana Dodd, and ABR Board member, Mike Smith, went to the Home Depot in Morristown, Tn to pick up bales of pine straw. The curators need this to help maintain a slow, intense burn in the wild enclosures. Even with all the fallen leaves and twigs naturally found in the Wild Enclosures, there just isn’t enough to sustain a slow burn. We’re grateful to Home Depot for donating 25 bales to ABR and to you for helping us purchase 50 more. This won’t be the last trip we make to Home Depot, but it will provide enough pine straw to get us started. 👏

We’re happy you liked the video posted yesterday of our former residents, Bobby, Sissy, and Ham. Our friend Karen Smith asked, “Did those three ever “crash” and sleep? LOL”. Here’s a short video from 2011 of two very tuckered cubs who fell asleep while playing. The random ear that pops up belongs to Bobby, who did not want to sleep and did his best to make sure no one else did.🐻🐻🐻

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18dE4WivuR/

❤️Please consider donating to Appalachian Bear Rescue’s Bear Necessities Fund.
https://bit.ly/3Zhmi48

🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
https://appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/

🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.

*We post one update daily, seven days a week.

02/02/2025

ABR Daily Update-February 2, 2025-Gather Ye Pine Branches While Ye May 👷‍♀️🌲

Weather: 63F (17C) Humidity 54%, Mostly Sunny 🌞

Appalachian Bear Rescue never passes up free stuff or the opportunity to acquire it. In this case, The Laurel Valley community was pruning pine trees and we asked for the discarded branches to help us with the controlled burns in our wild enclosures. The HOA said yes, and our curators were there, lickety-split, to collect them. We need lots of flammable material to help us sustain heat in the soil long enough to kill what ever microbes might be lurking in there. 🔥

Laurel Valley is near the ABR facility, and Visitor Bears who pass through here are often coming from or going there. The bear family, who almost made a den at ABR in 2021, was seen roaming in the neighborhood. If all went well, those cubs are now living on their own and mother bear might be having new cubs as we write. 🐻🐻

People could use some fun right now, so here’s a video of three little bears having lots of it. Siblings Sissy and Ham, with their friend, Bobby, arrived at ABR in March of 2011. This video, filmed on June 27, 2011, shows them after three months of care at ABR. They're strong, healthy, and full of beans! We didn’t have security cams then, so the cubs were filmed by a curator hiding behind a blind. The video quality isn’t great, but it captures the sheer joy of being a bouncing baby bear. Notice how quiet they are, even when playing; noise attracts attention and that’s something a cub in the wild doesn’t want. The Trio was released back to the wild on December 19, 2011:Bobby weighed 144 pounds, Ham 142 pounds, and Sissy weighed 91 pounds.
https://youtu.be/weQI4bhib2Y?si=rcTQ3vIloNu6TEc7

❤️Please consider donating to Appalachian Bear Rescue’s Bear Necessities Fund.
https://bit.ly/3Zhmi48

🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
https://appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/

🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.

*We post one update daily, seven days a week

02/01/2025

ABR Daily Update-February 1, 2025-Positive News! 😊🐻

Appalachian Bear Rescue was on WVLT News recently. Here is an excerpt from the article that accompanies a video featuring Greg Grieco.

[TWRA’s Emily Buck] “TWRA leadership is also in discussions with ABR leadership to strengthen our working relationship to ensure we can continue making a positive impact on the Tennessee bear population for many years to come.”

This is good news for the future of ABR and our mission! We hope to meet with TWRA in late February to plan our way forward.

Thank you for your exceptionally generous support of the rehabilitation of our facility. We are grateful to have you as partners in our mission.
You can purchase a Home Depot gift card at Amazon! You will probably have to reenter your credit card number, even if your card is stored with Amazon. The recipient email for the e-cards is: [email protected]

Home Depot Cards at Amazon:
https://amzn.to/42KgnYm

Please email us and let us know if you purchase anything on Amazon. Without your email, we don't know who to thank...and we always want to thank you!
[email protected]

*We post one update daily, seven days a week.

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says the rescue is addressing concerns TWRA leadership had about sanitization.

01/30/2025

January 30, 2025: Hammocks, Platforms & Vertical Dens

It was back to work in Enclosure 1 today. Curators Katrina, Jamie, Seth and Greg completed the task of disassembling the platforms. All the platform planks are split into smaller pieces to make kindling for the upcoming controlled burn in the enclosure. If the weather forecast holds, we may try to start that process on Monday. We are supposed to have several sunny, dry days next week.

When the platforms came down, the firehose hammocks and firehose bumpers also came down. Thanks to a good friend in West Virginia and her firefighter son, we have a near-lifetime supply of firehose. Once the controlled burn is done and the platforms are rebuilt, we will build back new enrichment hammocks and bumpers.

When we rebuild the platforms, we will attach the framework to large poles rather than attach directly to our trees. The platforms will still be under the tree canopy, but our trees will be spared some of the wear and tear of little bears. Don't worry! They will still have easy access from platform to tree. We might even add a few cubby ramps up to the platforms. Scruffy, Rags and Phoenix gave the ramps a big thumbs up!

Our team also removed the vertical den from Enclosure 1 today. The vertical dens are there to imitate "tree" dens. Bears in our area often use dens in hollowed out holes high in the treetops. It's safe and cozy way up there. Our cubs have never denned in the vertical dens, but several cubs have enjoyed playing in them. We're still up in the air about replacing the vertical dens. Though we found the ground inside to be pretty clean (only one peanut shell), we would want to allow ourselves easy access to the inside so that they are easy to clean. More to come on plans for vertical dens!

Next week on Friday, we will travel to Menards hardware store in Richmond, Kentucky. That's the closest Menards to us. They have a great selection of large round poles, perfect for resting platform construction. Thank you to everyone who has donated gift cards for our trip to Menards! We are currently only $289.70 from our goal of $2,279.70. The gift cards will pay for the poles that will be the foundation for all the new platforms. If we go over our goal, we will use anything extra to purchase the 2x10's that hold up the platform planks. We won't let a penny go unused! If you would still like to help, here's the link to purchase the gift cards. You can send an e-gift card to ABR Dana Dodd. The email address is [email protected].
https://www.menards.com/main/gift-cards/menards-reg-egift-card/9033679/p-1642874254335002-c-3410.htm

A huge cubby thank you to everyone who ordered tarps that will replace the black cloth around our enclosures. The tarps are made of plastic AND they let air flow through. They will be easy to clean regularly. We put 50 of the tarps on our Amazon wish list...enough for all the fencing around our current Enclosures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and enough for the addition to enclosures 1 and 2. We received 61 tarps. Now, we will have spares AND a start to an entirely new set of enclosures that will follow the addition to enclosures 1 and 2.

Thanks also to everyone who sent Home Depot gift cards. So far, we've received $960 of these cards. We will spend this on supplies for the controlled burns. We apologize that purchasing the Home Depot cards was a bit difficult. You can actually purchase a Home Depot gift card on Amazon.com! If that is easier, here's the link. We tried it and it worked. You will probably have to reenter your credit card number even if your card is stored with Amazon. The recipient email for the e-cards is [email protected]. Please email us and let us know if you purchase anything on Amazon. Without your email, we don't know who to thank...and we always want to thank you!
https://www.amazon.com/The-Home-Depot-3_The-Depot_Traditional/dp/B0DJQRWRGV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HZSC7ZB5DM7T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rNTtNyp-MX0kebYu-cAmJI5PQIh3PT_BeC9aQYpBrhu56y0L8XXVyjB2vR216R4lO0O3GCzzzB2uG_HY4zGAt-_EXbAIQTaUH2Dc2GXPfkI_-z7MOabGiq3YQ-SwAFdeaVnbjfXwRebHIaG92Nc2sozeMiY3y2J5RdPKDXk16qPz449SvlkgvTozV34Q-A-qEyZe1h9fcVflapFxUkqKabfuTPNva8TPXOJGUjHAlSoKUJYzCt9ptOxT_GTXdRFkZunPuGb5v2_mwxLzkBUK6OIbcjfdsOye9elgVmAxtD_vKmwR_t6di7uTGyjlyln7ZXD21kh7VVXjijM8AbXUp7UcWbFMbhhMHtpcdpyUQTe7_T5YXHVkgs02YGwnMXYQJeTU5kR4A_YYIkb0PnnN_h3txw5TKlCwNe98Hl4KtzCOOA_tZNqWR7MbbL_4xb7s.1ldrxC6t4uUHNIqJSnV6igzIhKqW2DN6j_ZAuKeypwM&dib_tag=se&keywords=home%2Bdepot%2Bgift%2Bcards&qid=1738278284&sprefix=home%2Bdepot%2Bgift%2Bcards%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1&th=1

We are humbled by your generous support for our mission and our cubs. You are our partner as we build for the future. We couldn't do our work without YOU!

01/29/2025

Our bear cubs LOVE their climbing platforms! If you would like to help us this off-season with replacing the platforms throughout our facility, you can purchase e-gift cards from Menards at the link below. Please include your name and address in the "Message" box so that we can send you an official tax receipt. If you can, please also email us and let us know what you are sending. Thank you so much! ☺️

Recipient Name: ABR Dana Dodd
Email Address: [email protected]
https://www.menards.com/main/gift-cards/menards-reg-egift-card/9033679/p-1642874254335002-c-3410.htm

01/29/2025

Happy Wednesday! 🐻 Please join Tori and Greg for a Live update at 2:00PM eastern.

01/28/2025

January 28, 2025: Now to the Platforms

We added resting platforms to our enclosures several years ago. Our cubs love them! They spend lots of time lounging in the shade of the tree canopy. Unfortunately, a lounging cub is not always a well behaved cub. Cubs are destructive. They mess with everything...the bark on the trees, the planks on the platforms, the firehose bumpers...EVERYTHING!

Each year, we have to replace a few planks and sturdy up a few sections. This year, they all come down! It's time to completely replace the platforms and we will learn from history and build them back better and stronger. This time, the planks will be made of cypress. We believe cypress is much less likely to rot out in the elements. This time, we will build under the tree canopy, but we will not use the trees to support the platforms. Cubs are just too destructive. This time, we will support the platform structures with large round posts. They are 8 inches in diameter and 12 feet tall. We will notch the poles so that cubs have no trouble climbing them to get to the platforms. We will add new firehose bumpers to give cubs something to grab in case someone "accidently" pushes them over the edge. Fortunately, a friend in West Virginia and her fireman son provided us with a near-lifetime supply of cubby firehose!

Late next week, another ABR friend will take us (in his big diesel truck pulling a large trailer) to Kentucky to pick up a BUNCH of poles from Menards. We need 30 of them to take care of platforms in all four enclosures and the enclosure space we are adding behind Enclosures 1 and 2.

If you would like to help us with the platform replacement project, you can purchase e-gift cards from Menards at the link below. Please include your name and address in the "Message" box so that we can send you an official tax receipt. If you can, please email us and let us know what you are sending too.

Recipient Name: ABR Dana Dodd
Email Address: [email protected]
https://www.menards.com/main/gift-cards/menards-reg-egift-card/9033679/p-1642874254335002-c-3410.htm

Thank you to everyone who has ordered items from our Amazon Wish List, sent Home Depot and Amazon gift cards, sent Menards gift cards, and donated on our ABR website. Thanks also for your kind comments and words of support. The projects ahead are big ones and they are important for our future cubs. We couldn't do our work without YOU!

01/27/2025

ABR Daily Update-January 27, 2025-The Work Begins- Part 2 🔨👷‍♀️👷‍♀️

Weather:45F (7C) Humidity 98%, Cloudy ☁️

Here is the second part of our plan to rehabilitate the Appalachian Bear Rescue Facility.

Platform and Board Replacement

We will remove all platform boards and replace them. We will split the existing boards into smaller pieces and use them as kindling for fires. This approach ensures we do not remove the old boards from the enclosure areas. We have already traveled to Lawrence County, Tennessee, to obtain free cypress slabs from an Amish sawmill. Cypress boards will be used for the new planks.

We will construct platform structures as much as possible under the tree canopy, using large posts as anchors instead of directly attaching to trees. Bears can damage trees when sitting close to them, and bolts into tree trunks can cause tree harm. We will travel to Kentucky to pick up the large posts, having identified Menard’s as the closest source for the posts we need. (link at the end of this post)

Enclosure Modifications

- Remove all black cloth from the inside fence's exterior
- The current cloth covers the chain link, creating a "blind" enclosure
- While maintaining airflow, we will use a less permeable plastic privacy product for the chain link fence that prevents bacterial and mold accumulation. We’ve sourced a procct which is avalaiobe on our Amazon Wish List (link at the end of this post)

Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures

- Spray all plastic surfaces (including sheets covering the top four feet of the fence above electric fence lines) with disinfectant
- Sanitize tire bridges
- Drill drainage holes in tire bottoms to prevent water accumulation
- Remove and dispose of fire hose hammocks and "bumpers"
- Repurpose additional fire hose for rebuilding enrichment items

Acclimation and Enclosure Expansion

We will likely seal off the area beneath Acclimation Pen 2, which has been a hangout for residents in the past. Since thorough cleaning is challenging, this area will become a "forbidden" zone.

The area prepared for what was to be Enclosure 5 will be used to expand space behind current Enclosures 1 and 2. These enclosures will eventually become one undivided space. During transition, the divider fence will remain.

Phased Bear Group Management
- Add new enclosure space behind current Enclosures 1 & 2
- House ONE bear group in the expanded space
- Create a method to open the "old 1/2 area" to the new enclosure
- Rotate bear groups every two weeks
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect vacated areas

Future Designation
- Current E1/E2 becomes Enclosure 1A
- New added area becomes Enclosure 1B
- Total area: slightly under two acres
- Add a road along Enclosure 1's left side for access

New Enclosure Requirements

1. Double fencing
2. Plastic covering inside fence top
3. 7-8 electric fence strands inside inner fence
4. Exterior intruder bear electric fence
5. Camera surveillance
6. Utility connections (water, electricity, camera cables)
7. Enrichment structures
8. Chained locks on every gate
9. Pools
10. Drinking tubs
11. Overlook towers

Priority Focus
Prioritize preparing the E1/E2 area first, as E3/E4 will be unavailable for months following repair and cleaning work.

We’re sorry so many of you had problems with purchasing Home Depot gift cards. Please see below for other ways you can help.

You can purchase e-gift cards from Menards (where we will be purchasing pressure treated posts for the new resting platforms) at the link below. Please include your name and address in the “Message” box so we can send you an official tax receipt.

Recipient Name: Dana Dodd
Email Address: [email protected]
https://www.menards.com/main/gift-cards/menards-reg-egift-card/9033679/p-1642874254335002-c-3410.htm

THANK YOU to everyone who ordered the heavy duty fence blind material from our Amazon Wish List! All we need is now ON THE WAY TO ABR. We can't thank all of you enough for all you do for our cubs!

Thank you for your patience and support. We wouldn’t exit without your help. ❤️

We post one update daily, seven days a week.

01/26/2025

ABR Daily Update – January 26, 2025- A Marathon of Care: Transforming Our Bear Sanctuary🐻

Weather: 53°F (12°C), Humidity 32%, Cloudy ☁️

Appalachian Bear Rescue’s mission is to rescue orphaned and injured American Black Bears, two years of age or younger, so they can be returned to the wild. As our valued partners in this mission, you deserve to be informed about the steps we’re taking to move forward.

Dr. Dan Grove, a veterinarian with the Agricultural Extension of the University of Tennessee, recently spent over three hours with our curators at the facility. During his visit, he provided numerous suggestions that we are incorporating into our plan to rehabilitate the facility. It’s a complex, time-consuming, and costly plan, but we are committed to creating a bear care facility that will be second to none.

Today, we’re sharing **Part One** of the plan, with **Part Two** to follow tomorrow. This way, all of our friends can stay informed about the work we’re doing. We also look forward to meeting with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) sometime in late February.

Part One: Cleaning and Sanitizing

Step 1: Deep Cleaning

We will clean and sanitize all buildings in three thorough passes:
1. First, we will use Rescue disinfectant.
2. Then, we will apply Clorox Healthcare Bleach Disinfectant.
3. Finally, we will use Rescue disinfectant again.

Before and after each cleaning pass, we will pressure wash all surfaces. Once the buildings are completely clean, we’ll partner with Roger Newman Heating and Air for an anti-bacterial treatment of our HVAC systems. Throughout the year, we’ll maintain the clean environment by using the best filters that are compatible with our HVAC systems.

Additionally, we’ll rotate between at least two different disinfectants to prevent germs from becoming resistant. For cleaning up solid matter, we’ll use soapy water with Dawn detergent. This ensures thorough sanitation at all times.

Step 2: Controlled Burns in Enclosures

We will conduct controlled burns in every enclosure to sanitize the soil. To safely carry out these burns, we’ll bring in fuel, such as pine straw and small kindling, to help maintain longer-burning fires that generate sufficient heat. A nearby neighborhood has been trimming brush along their roadsides, and we’ve asked for some of this brush to use for the fires as well.

There’s a massive amount of work to be done, and we’ve already started. However, we need LOTS of pine straw bales to fuel the controlled burns in all four enclosures. Unfortunately, pine straw isn’t available on Amazon, but we can purchase it from Home Depot.

How You Can Help

We would greatly appreciate digital Home Depot gift cards in any amount. These funds will help us purchase pine straw and other essential materials needed for the rehabilitation project.
https://www.homedepot.com/gift-cards/p/Home-Depot-Crate-Gift-Card/53L1QLAXWKVF06WJ8DLHBYT6S8/RH6VN7060A1LR3FWD0WJKNVBV8
Please enter the following in the appropriate boxes on the Home Depot Page.
Recipient Name: Dana Dodd
Email Address: [email protected]

After purchasing a gift card, please email us at the same address with the following details:
1. The amount of the gift card.
2. Your mailing address.

We want to send you an official tax receipt, as Home Depot does not provide us with donor information.

The rehabilitation of our facility will be a marathon, not a sprint, but with your support, we can reach the finish line together. Let’s do it for the bears! 🐻

🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
https://appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/

🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.

*We post one update daily, seven days a week.

01/25/2025

ABR Daily Update-January 25, 2025-The Work Begins 🔨👷🏼‍♂️👷‍♀️

Weather: 51F(11C) Humidity 30%, Cloudy ☁️

For the first time since April 6, 2022, we don't have any bears in residence. As much as we miss having little fur balls around, we need this time to rehabilitate and renovate our facility so it will be ready to help when needed.

You will recall we started work on Wild Enclosure #5 a few years ago, then had to stop when bears began arriving. The disease that infected our cubs meant a complete rethink of the design. We will be extending Wild Enclosures #1 and #2, eventually forming two separate enclosures. This will allow the curators to rotate cubs between the enclosures every couple of weeks and enter the unoccupied enclosure to clean.

To that end, we had Stanley Fencing come to the facility to measure and provide a quote for the fence extension. We'll be sharing the figures with you as soon as they're finalized. In the meantime, the curators are gathering kindling to help with the controlled burn of the enclosures. They are also removing all porous fabrics and are ready to demolish the resting platforms and tire bridges. They will also remove the firehose hammocks and bumpers.

This is an immense amount of work and is expensive—the fencing alone has increased substantially in price since our last quote. We're focusing our efforts on Wild Enclosures #1 and #2; Enclosures #3 and #4, where the infection appeared, will be unusable for six months to a year following cleaning.

We'll present the complete plan as soon as possible. Thank you for your continuing support. It means everything to us. ❤️

❤️Please consider donating to Appalachian Bear Rescue’s Bear Necessities Fund.�
https://bit.ly/3Zhmi48

🎉Our Visitor & Education Center at Trillium Cove is open! Please click on the link for more information:
https://appalachianbearrescue.org/contact-us/

🛑bearwise.org offers excellent information on what black bears are up to at this time of year and what to do if you hike or live in “Bear Country”.

*We post one update daily, seven days a week.

01/24/2025

Join Curator Tori to talk about ABR's release protocols.