We desperately wanted Teton Totem to live his final days in one of the new bear gardens. We figured the second garden would be for one of the brother bears since we were designing a new area, modified specifically for his special needs, in the old bear compound for Humble Bumble. And we knew Huckleberry was already starting to leave us. We never intended for Ramble and Bramble to live across from each other in the new bear gardens.
When the gardens were completed last spring, we had to really start thinking about how Ramble and Bramble would adjust to living directly across from each other, in full view of each other. Typical of adult male bears, Ramble and Bramble do not get along. They would be considered competition in the wild, and even though they have spent their entire lives in captivity, that primal instinct is still strong in them. Would it be stressful for one or both of them? Would they posture and chuff aggressively at each other? Would it take away some of their enjoyment of their large new gardens? Would stress affect their appetites? What if they are too stressed to put on enough weight for hibernation? What if? What if?
Luckily, all our worries were for naught. The transfer of both bears from the old gardens to the new went perfectly, and they have both settled in beautifully. There wasn’t stress when Ramble joined Bramble in the new gardens next to each other. It seemed familiar to them both, a comfort that the other brother was nearby. Almost immediately, they were mirroring each other. Where Bramble goes, Ramble follows on his side of the central aisle separating the two enclosures. If one is sitting up on his back end to greet caretakers in the central aisle, the other does the same. If one is sleeping on the cool concrete during the heat of the day, the other typically is, too. Recently, while Susan was out of town and I was staying overnight, I even caught them both doing bear yoga in their beloved hammocks first thing in the morning. Both had their heads pointing the same direction, both were laying on their backs holding their hind left leg straight up in the air with their front left holding identical poses.
Watching the bears explore and enjoy their new gardens, each in their own way, has been a constant source of delight to us and our visitors. We all come away with a profound new appreciation for the nature of bears—especially how much they are capable of enjoying life.
