Brown Bear Boys
Posted at 3:37 pm January 16, 2008 by Hali Anderson
Scout, left, and Montana It’s been over a month now since Bear Canyon at the San Diego Zoo welcomed the arrival of its latest residents: two roly-poly fuzzy balls of joy named Scout and Montana. I’m referring, of course, to our grizzly bear cubs that took up residency in the canyon on November 30, 2007. If you haven’t made it out to see these year-old brothers yet, I urge you to come and watch first hand the delightful antics of these playful cubs.
The boys are adjusting well to their surroundings and are quite used to the bus traffic and people sounds, as well as the watchful eyes of their adoring fans. In fact, sometimes I almost think they are showing off for the crowds as they wrestle and tumble up close and personal. Their individual personalities are starting to shine now, too. Scout is a bit smaller than his brother, Montana, and is so much the ” ittle brother.” Scout does a lot of the play instigating by running up to Montana to try to get him to chase him or go for a swim. I would consider him the clown in the family that’s often goofing around and laughing. Montana, on the other hand, is quite the calm, cool, and collected bear. Don’t get me wrong, he loves to chase and wrestle around with Scout, too, but he can often be viewed sitting around with a twig in his mouth or doing some serious digging.
Like all brown bear cubs, Scout and Montana are very busy. It is a continuous challenge as a keeper to help keep their world interesting. Some of the ways we accomplish this is through training and enrichment. Every morning when we call the bears inside to their bedrooms (or holding pens), we greet them with some of the yummiest parts of their diet. Right now that consists of a raw meat mixture called carnivore diet. We then work with each bear teaching them behaviors such as “sit,” “open mouth,” “lie down,” and to enter a crate. Brown bears are very smart, and they enjoy this special training time that helps to stimulate their minds. The behaviors that they learn can help us to perform routine medical procedures with minimal stress to the bears as well as assist us with daily check ups. The boys are always eager to participate in training and when we introduce a new behavior to learn, we pull out an even more special treat: peanut butter!
After the morning training session, the exhibit has to be cleaned and new enrichment placed in the exhibit. I always try to have something different for them to discover when they are released back to their exhibit. Sometimes it’s obvious, like cardboard boxes with shredded paper inside or a bear toy; other times it is a new food item or a different scent. Different kinds of bedding and plant clippings might also be offered. Always, but especially at this early age, every item given to the bears is carefully watched to ensure it is something safe and is not being consumed (unless, of course, it’s food!). Another type of enrichment is how and when the bears’ diet is offered. Putting their diet inside puzzle feeders or hiding it around the exhibit is a good way for the bears to spend more time looking for their food like they would do in the wild. We also like to throw enrichment off of the roof at unexpected times just for fun and to teach the bears to expect the unexpected!
The next time you find yourself at the Zoo, make sure you pay a visit to Bear Canyon to see Scout and Montana. The best time to see them active is first thing in the morning when they go back out to their exhibit. You might see them foraging for food, digging, swimming, wrestling, destroying a palm frond or box, or even just hanging out being their adorable fuzzy brown bear selves. Whatever they happen to be doing, you’ll be sure to be delighted by their cuteness. But then again, as their daily keeper, I’m a little biased!
Hali Anderson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Watch video of the grizzly cubs’ first day on exhibit…
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January 16th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Thanks for introducing us to the cute brown bears, Hali. They’ve certainly become a crowd favorite on our tours and we just love talking about them. Please keep us updated on their progress.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Like so many people, I became a very regular visitor to the SDZ website as a pandaholic, starting with Su Lin’s birth. However, I absolutely fell in love with Scout and Montana as soon as they became part of the Zoo. Would LOVE to see more video of them, and so very pleased that they are adapting well and enjoying their wonderful new home.
SDZ and Wild Animal Park are terrific, world-class institutions. The internet has only broadened your reach to people around the globe who cannot regularly visit these magical places. While there are many things in our world that could be so much better, online zoos like this one are one of the best things about living in the 21st century.
Much thanks to all, much love to Scout and Montana and, please Meerkats, put up some new vids of the kids!!
January 17th, 2008 at 7:19 am
How cute of the grizzly cubs. They just like two movable fuzzy balls. I love polar bears as well as grizzlies. Hali, I am looking forward to learn their further development.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Look at those faces! They are so adorable – I will definitely visit them on my next trip to the zoo. Thank you for the blog on them – they are some very happy and lucky bears.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I hope they are out on Saturday. I am coming to visit!!
January 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
What happend to the boy’s mother? Were they orphaned or just weaned early? They are very young to be without their mother.
Moderator’s note: Here’s a link to a press release that answers that very question: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/CF/pressreleases/releasedetail.cfm?id=539
January 17th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Thanks Hali for such a color-full vivid picture of the boys and their brown bear cub antics.
Carol, #2, said it beautifully. As world-class on-line zoos the SDZ and WAP provide the world with a glimpse into these magnificent animals lives that we would not otherwise have opportunity to witness and learn from.
Many thanks to all zoo keepers for their care of the animals in their charge and for sharing their love and knowledge of the animals with the rest of us.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:49 am
I saw these 2 guys fighting over the berries today. It was kind of scary, but interesting too. They seemed to be afraid of the noise coming from the service vehicles and buses. I hope they grow up to be as cool as Spanky!
Nevertheless, I’m glad they are at SDZ.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:39 am
So sad! I hope the mother will be safe and well treated where she is now. People should be aware of the problems they cause when they leave thrash outside, in the parks and other wild places. The cubs are beautiful!
January 18th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Thank you for this posting!
I did have an opportunity to see the little dudes this past Wednesday! Now, I know their names
They are really fuzzy! And very very cute!
January 18th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Thank you Hali for your delightful account of the little brown bears. They are adorable! Keep up the creative enrichment program – the SDZ is lucky to have your insight and expertise.
January 20th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Though it is so cruel to separate the cubs from their mother, all the three bears have their own shelters by now. It is much better to be killed in the wild or euthanasia. I hope their mother can have a good life in the Veterinary Research Center. And the bear cubs would not separate again.
January 20th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I love the cubs,Scout and Montana!! But they shure sound like a handfull!!! Keep up the good at SDZ!!!
February 5th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
My family is the one that had our camp ‘Attacked’ by Oakley (the mother), Scout and Montana. So everyone knows – our camp was clean! Oakley knew her way around and was teaching the boys how to get into a pop cooler and break open Coke cans. Things were not a big deal with everyone in the motor home until Oakley decided that there may be something in the tent. If my wife and kids had been in that tent like they were the night before things could have been way different. No harm to the family but the tent did not survive, Oakley was teaching these cubs some dangerous habits… Oakley is currently hibernating and I am glad to know that the boys are doing well. We never wanted them to be separated or harmed in any way. We have been very concerned about them and are planning to see them this summer. We are happy that a bad situation has turned out good. These cubs are in a place where many people can enjoy them and they will never be harmed. Thanks Hali and The SDZ!!!
February 9th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
What happened to the brown bears that were at the zoo for years?
Moderator’s note: Alaskan brown bear Sheena died in 2005; her brother, Spanky, died in August, 2007. They are deeply missed.
February 28th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
We are the other part of the family who was also in the motor home on that night that Oakley, Montana and Scout visited. It was something we will never forget as we watched this playful family climb on the camping chairs, ATV’s and even on the motor home steps. We watched this family of bears for almost 4 hours as they played around. We are so happy that they have found a good home and that none of them had to be killed. We are lovers of bears and would never have done anything to harm them and planning a trip to see them this summer. The only danger that we ever saw from them in the incident was Oakley getting into the tent that was unoccupied as someone told us there were bears in the area, she did destroy the tent and we realized for the safety of others we had to notify someone. It was a hard decision but knew that others who were in tents in that area might not be aware. Our regret is that during that 4 hour period none of us took the time to snap a picture. So happy they are doing well and grateful to Hali and the SDZ.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
i really want to see them again i will be coming pretty soon so hopefull my parents take me and my siblings to the bears hope to see you soon motana and scout love you