Two North American black bear cubs are settling in behind the scenes as they prepare to be the first inhabitants of the new Bear Ridge exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. The 7-month-old sisters arrived from Montana Sept. 17 after being deemed un-releasable by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Curator of Mammals Kim Scott tells WVXU the animals are being quarantined and checked for parasites and other health issues before they transition to public display, possibly in about three weeks. The cubs were taken into captivity after their mother was declared a nuisance animal and euthanized by Montana officials.
"She was breaking into buildings, she was eating trash, she was breaking into cars — all of those things that then put humans in danger. The fact that she was bringing her new cubs into that world, it made them also more habituated to humans, habituated to public spaces, which, of course, is fine when they're six months old, right? But when they're adult bears, they do pose a danger to humans," Scott says. "(However,) because we were available to take (the cubs), their lives were spared."
Scott says it's not a pretty story, but it's one that needs to be told.
"Bears in our backyard often become nuisance bears due to humans invading their space, building homes in their backyard, and not doing appropriate (things like) keeping their trash locked up and put away," she points out. "We make it really easy for these wild bears to get in trouble. It's easier to root around a trash can than it is to find food out there in the wild."
Scott says the zoo's hope is to spread awareness about bears and how humans living in bear country can be more responsible and mindful about keeping bears out of harm's way and making their properties less attractive to wild animals.
The sisters will be the only inhabitants of the bear enclosure. One looks like a traditional black bear with black fur, while the other has more of a cinnamon brown coloring. Scott says the zoo doesn't intend to breed the bears. She notes that sometimes adult female bears can clash, but the zoo aims to keep them happy and engaged with enrichments.
Zookeepers traveled to Montana to bring the bears back to Cincinnati. Scott says they're doing well despite having a pretty fast transition from the wild.
"They were literally in the wild on a Thursday, and were at the Cincinnati Zoo by the following Wednesday. So they had a very fast transition from wild to human care, and with that transition, there's always an acclimation period, but I would say they are doing amazing," she says.
The keepers are deciding on names and expect to make an announcement soon.
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