Baloo, the Teaching Bear!
This is the story of Baloo, our resident, non-releasable black bear. Baloo came to our Cookville facility in 1999 after a collision with a truck. He was in pretty bad shape but with good veterinary care and lots of time to heal, he returned to health. Sadly, the accident left him with permanent brain damage and a severely crippled right foreleg. He reacts slowly and can walk only on three legs. To release him in that shape would be a death sentence. Instead, he stays on as a permanent resident and a key member of our educational team.
Barry Rothfuss, AWI Director of Operations, looks on while Baloo the bear tests the effectiveness of chainlink fencing as a back-scratcher.
Baloo now lives in a brand-new bear enclosure, built in the summer of 2003 with the assistance of Fundy Fencing Ltd. of Saint John, New Brunswick.
He performs three valuable functions at the Wildlife Institute:
- Visitors who have never seen a bear up close get to watch him in a spacious,
semi-natural setting.
- Interns and wildlife trainees acquire first-hand experience in the safe handling of a large wild animal.
- Baloo serves as a mentor to healthy cubs that are sent to us for foster care. He teaches them how to behave around the older bears they will meet after their release to the wild.