Langley Advance
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 08:13 AM

Greater Vancouver Zoo: Bears head back to the 'wild'

Despite winter weather delays, Kohl and his mother were reintroduced to the North American Wild section of the zoo this month.

by Roxanne Hooper

Kohl is no longer that wide-eyed, skittish and - some might say - bashful little gaffer that won over visitors to the Greater Vancouver Zoo when he was born more than two years ago.

Now, weighing in at more than 150 pounds and actually dwarfing his mother, Kohl is back in the public eye as he makes the transition this month from a temporary holding area back into the zoo's North American Wild section.

Both mother and son were reintroduced back into the 10-acre NAW compound on March 8, and are adapting well, said zoo spokesperson Jody Henderson.

"They've both done very well," she added, noting that the door to the temporary holding area was kept open for Kohl the first day - in case he became scared. And, in fact, he did. He scurried into the enclosure a few times, when the other black bears and a pack of Vancouver Island wolves who call NAW home came in for a closer look.

"Kohl and his mom, Mama, walked out of their temporary holding area, sniffing and checking out every inch of their new home. In no time at all, they started climbing trees and foraging around in the bushes," said lead keeper Phil Feenstra.

The original plans was to introduce Kohl and his mother, Mama, back to the NAW in December. But as a result of this winter's extreme weather and extensive tree and fence damage, the move had to be delayed, Henderson said.

Now, with spring arriving, there was a mad dash to get the site fixed up and get Kohl and Mama before mating season starts, and the other bears become more aggressive and territorial.

Kohl was born at the zoo in January 2005 within the NAW section. It's believed his father is the zoo's albino bear.

Two days after his birth, both he and his mother were moved into a temporary enclosure in order to allow the baby to grow and get stronger before reintroducing the pair back to the so-called wild, Henderson said.

Black bears, for the first few years of their life, must learn all their survival skills from their mom, so they can in turn defend or protect themselves, she said.

Last October, the pair was moved into another holding area, this one allowing Kohl to absorb the sights, sounds and smells of the other black bears on site as well as the wolves who call the NAW section home.

"It is very important to know that a gradual approach is of the utmost importance when introducing either new animals to a current group or in this case a reintroduction," Henderson said. "As always, our first priority is for the care and safety of all our animals."

One section of the NAW compound, built in 1998, is home to four other black bears and wolves, and it features a creek, bushes and numerous trees for the bears to climb.

Another area of the NAW section is home to a herd of Plains bison, Roosevelt elk and black-tailed deer.

Three black bears, including Mama, came to the zoo as orphans or abandon cubs. Other bears have since been born at the zoo.

The zoo offers a 15-20 minute narrated bus tour that goes through the NAW section. That area was shut down for a period, given the aftermath of the bad weather that caused damage to trees and fences.

But that section has since been reopened as of March 13, allowing the public to welcome Kohl and Mama back.

published on 03/27/2007