What happened? As we rested up from Wilderness Wildlife Week, 3 more orphaned yearlings were admitted to ABR! These photos are of #4, who has been named Mackie. 
He was very thin, as you can see, and undernourished. It took him no time at all to dive into his dish of yogurt.
Lucky for him, he soon joined Ripley, along with #6, Peeka-Boo, and the tiny bears are now receiving comfort from each other. We’ll post photos of the three of them as we receive them.
January 27, 2012
January 23, 2012
ABR welcomesRipley!! We also commend the Gatlinburg Police Officers who rescued her. Our first report was a cub in the planter in front of the Sky Lift office…she was eating pansies. Next, she traveled the Parkway and ended up at Ripley’s Aquarium. The Gatlinburg Police alerted TWRA and ABR and, within an hour, Ripley was safe and eating apples while she waited to be admitted …to ABR. Last night, she settled in a nestbox in the crib with Friday and Pressley, eating all the while (grapes, apples, baby carrots and yogurt!). Soon, Pressley was shaking the box and talking to Ripley…”come on out…we’ll take care of you!!” The new “Trio” are settled this morning and will no doubt have a restful day.
January 22, 2012
Wilderness Wildlife Week is a premier event for nature lovers and wildlife aficionados that is held each January in Pigeon Forge, TN. ABR was well represented this year, as we had a display table in the Exhibit Hall that showcased the organization and provided bear information for visitors. ABR volunteers staffed the table, which drew the attention of many visitors. Here are some of our wonderful volunteers at the ABR table.
In addition to our table display, ABR volunteers presented several programs during the event. Lisa Stewart, Curator, gave a program entitled “Appalachian Bear Rescue – Who we are and what we do,” and the audience enjoyed learning about our nonprofit and how we care for orphaned cubs. Kathy and Anne, aka “The Bear Ladies” presented 2 PowerPoint programs about bears and 2 hands-on kids programs. All of these were well received. We had the cub DVD running at the table, and it attracted attention. All in all, the week was a big success for ABR as well as for Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which sponsors the event each year.
January 22, 2012
We posted about the 2 yearling cubs that were admitted to ABR on Friday, January 13th. Here is another photo of them together. It seems that one little bear doesn’t want to show her/his face to the camera. Maybe after a few more days to settle in, we’ll get a peek. Right now it’s time to recuperate from the lonely and harsh conditions endured before arrival at ABR. 
We have been advised that Yearling #3 for 2012 was found in Gatlinburg, near Ripley’s, today and is on the way to ABR. The name Ripley suits this cub, don’t you think? This is another underweight yearling that weighs approximately 20 pounds. A normal weight for a yearling cub at this time would be be at least 50 pounds.
January 20, 2012
When they first met, the two newest arrivals at ABR were a bit unsure of each other. In our last post, they reacted with fear, standing up and huffing at each other. After a few days, they seem to be getting along more peacefully. That’s a good thing, since they will be much happier if they can snuggle together in their pen and keep warm.
January 16, 2012
These photos show the first meeting of the two, tiny cubs (no, they are actually YEARLINGS now, as they were born in January, 2011) who were admitted to ABR on Friday. You can see the natural defense reaction, shown by their posture. We can almost hear the “huffing” sounds they are making as they face each other for the first time. The good news is that within a couple of days they snuggled together as “best buds.” We’ll post photos of these 2 new friends as soon as we receive them.
January 16, 2012
ABR made the news again! On Saturday, January 14, this article with a photo of our own Mike Stewart, made the front page of the Mountain Press. The article relates the rescue of one of the first cubs of 2012, that were admitted to ABR on Friday the thirteenth. Remember, we said they were “lucky” cubs, in spite of the “unlucky” day.
January 13, 2012
Friday, January 13th was a lucky day for two little orphaned cubs that were found and admitted to ABR by Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency officers. One of the cubs was found in Sevierville; the other was found in Townsend. Both of these cubs are very much underweight at less than 20 pounds each. They will join the 16 cubs from 2011 that are spending the winter at the ABR facility.
As you can see, these two little orphans are very small when compared to the “big guys” that were released last month. And it is truly hard to believe that they are all the same age! They are almost one year old, as they were born in late January of 2011.
January 9, 2012
Here are the cubs in the Pink Palace, all crowded into the culvert den. What a good way to keep warm on a cold winter’s night! These cubs have become a family, and all of them snuggle together, like a pile of puppies. Note the fruit that is outside of the den, so if they want a snack it is there for them. What a life! By the way, do you know what a group of bears is called? It is a “sloth of bears.” In this case, we have a “sloth of cubs.”
January 8, 2012
Here we are in Pigeon Forge, where WWW is going strong. Our ABR booth is attracting a lot of attention, and the volunteers staffing the table are busy answering questions about bears and ABR. Anne and Kathy have presented 2 programs – a hands-on activity program for kids and a PowerPoint program entitled “Bears 101,” for adults. Both programs were well received. Tomorrow (Monday) Lisa Stewart, ABR curator, will present a program all about ABR and our cubs. Lisa is a very popular speaker, and her audience will be large. Many other topics are covered during the week – raptors, elk, birds of all kinds, plants and flowers, wild hogs, air quality, park history, and others. In addition, there are entertaining musical presentations and dancing performances. And of course, there are many hikes on trails in the national park. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: if you possibly can come to partake of the WWW programs, it will be well worth your time. Remember, all the events are FREE!
