Labra-bear-dles

I think we have all heard of the Labradoodle -- mostly because it's one of the rare words in the English language that is fun to say.  The Labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle.  The purpose of the cross breed was to come up with a hypoallergenic guide dog, for people who need assistance dogs but are allergic to the dander.  It worked, but the unexpected outcome was that they are ridiculously cute and everybody knows what a Labradoodle is!

As I watched the black bears at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, I got to thinking they were a lot like big puppy dogs.  That statement may get some people riled up because bears are not at all like dogs, they are 300 pound carnivores that need to be respected in the wild. However, I think sometimes we get caught up in the fear of bears and miss out on the fun of bears.  You should not assume a bear to be friendly or approachable (nor should you assume the same of any dog).  You should however consider that bears are wonderful, lively, intelligent creatures with a full range of lovable characteristics and that they are not just out to eat you.  In general, a black bear will run from you, they tend to be more afraid of you than you are of them.

I decided to nickname this guy the Labra-bear-dle.  It was a hot day so his tongue was out, and I think he is ridiculously cute from my safe perch on the bear viewing deck.

I believe this is Kuma.  I am certain I have seen 2 black bears at the Conservation Center, but their website only tells the story of one.  Here is the story copy and pasted from their site https://www.alaskawildlife.org

Kuma is a male black bear that was brought to AWCC in May 2002, weighing only three pounds. He was found alone in a hole in a backyard in Trapper Creek, AK. The homeowner was putting in a septic system and when the mother bear passed by, the cub fell in and was unable to climb out. When the cub was discovered, the sow was nowhere to be found. One of Kuma’s favorite hangouts at AWCC is high up in the cottonwood trees. He spends hours napping comfortably in the high elevation and doesn’t appear to be bothered by heavy rain or high winds!

He has sure grown a lot from those 3 pounds and likely close to that 300 lb range that black bears can get to.  A happy and healthy weight for a bear,since they sleep all winter and live off fat stores.

Kuma's enclosure has a hill to climb, a little valley, a fence where he can see but stay safely away from the much larger grizzly and brown bears, and a thicket of alders where he can go an nap the afternoon away, hidden from view of the tourists if he wants.  He also has a snug little den where he often retreats after afternoon feeding, and of course where he spends the winter.

Black bears are shy, and on this day, there were a couple of shrieking hyperactive kids, not upset kids, just bad kids who liked to scream at the animals, which seemed to bother Kuma quite a bit.  The parents didn't do anything to correct the disruptive behavior, even after parks staff came over and stood nearby saying he was showing anxious behavior and was upset by the noise, which bothered me quite a bit.  A little respect for the bears and bystanders would have been appreciated.  I started having uncharitable thoughts about what the bears should be fed that day, so we were all glad when the noisy family moved on, most especially Kuma.

Here is Kuma looking out at his fans in the long afternoon sunlight.  All the activity of the day made for a tired bear.

He headed over to his little den.

Kuma gave us one last look before heading inside for an afternoon nap.  Feeding is at 3:30 so he would be back out soon enough!