STATUS OF BEAR WELFARE

Status of Bear Welfare in Cherokee, North Carolina
Peter J. Balint and Jennifer A. Steinberg, “Conservation Case Study of the Gobi Bear,” in D.
Badarch, R.A. Zilinskas, and P.J. Balint, eds. Mongolia Today: Science, Culture, Environment,
and Development (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003) 238-57.
Guillermo Polermo, et al., “Ecology and Behavior of Three Wild Orphaned Brown Bear Cubs in
Spain,” International Association of Bear Research and Management, Bears: Their Biology and
Management 9.2 (1997): 85-90.
Season/Event
Winter Diet
Enclosure/Enrichment Requirements
It is imperative to mimic a natural diet before and during denning.
Because humans have no idea how much food in fall is enough to get a
bear through the winter—and those needs change with personal and
environmental factors—captive bears need to be offered some food and
water during denning.
Reduce the amount and types of foods, offering primarily chow during
denning. This way, the bear is sustained if he or she didn’t get enough
calories in the summer and fall but will not feel the need to get up to eat
simply because treats are offered.
Denning bears have died in the captive environment because food and
water were completely removed. Never artificially reduce food amounts;
instead, work off the bears’ needs—if the bears are still hungry and
eating, then feed them. Once they reduce their own intake and begin
showing signs of denning, reduce foods according to behavior.
Treats and enrichment are not required or encouraged during denning
season. Treats and activities are not available in nature at this time, and
bears will get up for them, but that is not the objective.
Winter Enrichment
Spring Diet
In the wild, bears emerge from their dens in the spring when the weather
begins to warm and the snow and ice are melting. At this time, there is still
no new food available, so they root around for overwintered food sources
such as old berries, fruits, tender shoots, and branches.
Food is still scarce in the spring, so wild bears’ caloric intake is not high.
When they come out of denning, therefore, they still have to rely on their
food stores to get through the spring. The captive bear must not come out
of winter denning bone thin; the animal must still have fat reserves.
Zoos often make the mistake of immediately offering their newly risen
bears a full diet with lots of calories. Actually, this is only appropriate
AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT OF CHIEF SAUNOOKE BEAR PARK, CHEROKEE BEAR ZOO, AND SANTA’S LAND | 12