By Ethan Tyler
Special to the Turnagain Times
Spring has officially arrived at the Wildlife Conservation Center. The sure sign down here in Portage is not crocuses coming up through the snow, or tulips making their colors seen, but by the bears' most recent appearance over the weekend.
In a busy weekend at the center, AWCC's resident brown bears, Hugo, Patron, and JB, were up and about and as entertaining as ever. “Those bears enjoy watching people as much as we enjoy watching them,” said Mike Miller, AWCC Executive Director. “They have an 18 acre enclosure, with lots of space to hide, but when the people start rolling through the center, they know it, and they are front and center to keep an eye on all the action”, he added. Kuma and Uli, AWCC's Black Bears also made some of their first trips outside this spring.
Bears do not actually sleep through the entire winter, a common misconception, and bears in captivity rest even less than their relatives in the wild. “We'll see them roaming around now and then throughout the winter”, said Miller, “but with the additional daylight, and the warmer temperatures, their internal clocks are telling them that it's time to get up and start searching for food”. The AWCC bears are not fed throughout the winter months, though when they start to reappear, it's time to break out the meal service.
AWCC is home to five bears, three Brown and two Black, all of which were rescued from the injury or having been orphaned in the wild. Once these bears are brought to the center, it is unlikely that they will be released into the wild. AWCC is currently in the development process of Bears of Alaska Center, and interpretive center dedicated to the study and awareness of these magnificent animals. Visit www.alaskawildlife.org/bears for more info.
