How a Black Bear Makes a Daybed

Now that Colton Bear has been released and is back in the wild, our curators had the chance to enter the large enclosure and to see what Colton had been doing recently.  They thought that, during the last month or so, he might be looking for a den.  What they found was evidence that he had made daybeds, and had obviously been resting.  A black bear’s metabolism slows significantly as it nears his hibernation time, and these daybeds were no doubt used as his metabolism was getting ready for his winter’s sleep.  We hope that by now he will have found a cozy den in his new home in the wild.  Check out these photos of his bed-making skills.