Hibernation Continues as the Days Grow Longer
Meanwhile the Bears are stirring more often...
Posted by Devin Manky March 10, 2014
Well, after a lot of February snow, the longer days of March are upon us. This also means that our 13th grizzly bear hibernation season on Grouse Mountain is drawing to a close. I've been spending a lot more time watching the hibernation den camera (screen shot below) and observing Grinder and Coola stirring more often. They are starting to go out of the den for little wanders into the main portion of the building in order to stretch their muscles and check on temperatures and daylight.
All this activity is normal for this time of year and is part of the process that they go through trying to decide when is the right time to leave the den. Staff watch them closely and based on their behaviors we time our activities such as habitat clearing, fence construction and first feed. Then, when both coincide as ready, we let the bears out into their hibernation yard to play in the snow. This traditionally has taken place in mid-April.
This blog is also coming out of hibernation so please stay tuned for further updates on how the wake-up process is going and we'll be sure to let you know when you can come up and welcome Grinder and Coola to 2014 and another amazing summer here at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife!
