Preparing for a Five Month Sleep

Animal Tales, Bears, Blog | December 16, 2010

On a cold damp day with biting wind, we decided it was time to put the bears to bed for the winter. They were all substantially plump, with Major Bear winning the substantiality prize. His belly was almost touching the ground. He is a slow-moving, good-natured bear so perhaps his metabolism is a bit slower than the others (it is important to be tactful). The bears were still eating – usually they stop when they are ready. But Teton Totem ( still unparalyzed for those who have followed his healing saga) had been giving us signs that he was ready. We realized some years ago that when he was thirsty he would ask us for water by putting out his front right paw and sweeping it towards me in a gesture that to a human could be interpreted as “come,” or “give me ” ( I should check what those words would look like in American Sign Language). What made us decide it was time, though they were still all eating with gusto, was that we saw Teton entering his den, sticking out his head and paw and making that same sweeping motion — he was asking for his hay. (They won’t go to bed without their hay.) He was also sweeping some of the dried portion of his food into his den as a pathetic substitute for hay. It was time. And if it was time for one it was time for all six.

So we gave them each a bale of sweet smelling fresh dry hay and there was no hesitation. The bed making began immediately and in earnest. Teton’s eyes got big and round and he ambled his portly self  over and began to arrange it. It had to be just so. It usually takes a full three days of making and remaking and remaking his bed until it is  just so. The floor gets rearranged, more padding here, less padding there . . . the edges get rearranged; the log gets placed just so and hay put on it so he can use it as a soft pillow. I relayed this to Dondy, our office manager, who replied – “Of course it takes three days – I would take that long if I had to sleep in the same bed for five months”.  Finally he plugged up the entrance until he was invisible.  No bear there. No bear home. And that is the last we will see of him for months.

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