A White Christmas, 2010!

Well, pulling it out at the last minute actually....I didn't think we were going to get to see one.  But it happened: snow on Christmas.  In Georgia!

Here are a few pictures of the snow and the animals at the Zoo, taken Monday morning.  Enjoy!

Here is one of our Christmas trees that we decorated for wildlife.  It has now been stripped clean by all of the birds and squirrels we have on the property.

For those of you who have not seen the buck up close (he usually hangs out in the very back of the deer enclosure) here he is.  He is so old his antlers do not grow correctly anymore.

                                                            And the more sociable doe:

Big ol' DJ does not like to get his feet wet, either by mud or snow.  When we have those situations, he  walks where he can keep his feet dry.

Athena and Yonah doing what any sisters do: wrestle!

(Athena likes to lick the snow)

We hope your Holidays were Merry and Bright!  Come see us soon.

posted by Berkeley

Different types of fundraising! Please help!

We are in the midst of some good things here.  We are doing fundraising to renovate the existing bear yard so that the two cubs, Athena and Yonah can move in.  The cubs have grown so quickly- they are now over 100 pounds, and not slowing down!  They are growing much more quickly than we had anticipated, and we will need to move them into their new home much sooner rather than later.  Here’s where we are stuck.  We need to build a new night house in order to keep all three bears secure at night.  This will cost many thousands of dollars. 

A way to participate in our fundraising will be to contribute to our “Cans for Critters” program beginning in January.  Some of you may remember the “Bags for Bears” program that the Zoo did a few years ago where we collected plastic grocery bags to recycle.   This was where the Trex company offered to donate Trex lumber according to the amount of plastic grocery bags that were collected for recycling.  In all, over 8 TONS of plastic bags were collected and turned over to Trex, and they donated a roughly equivalent amount of their synthetic lumber to the Zoo.  We have used this synthetic lumber to create playscapes for the bears, the bobcats and the otters; resurface many of the decks and boardwalks; and make fences and enclosures out of it.  That generosity really helped us a LOT.

 “Cans for Critters” is a similar program.  Start saving your cans!   We are currently collecting aluminum cans to turn in for recycling.  A company will pay us for the amount of aluminum that we turn over for recycling.  We plan to use the money we raise with this program to help fund the renovation of the bear night house.  You can drop off all of your aluminum cans here at the Zoo, or at almost every elementary school in Clarke County.  We want your cans! 

Finally, there is another way that you can help us with our fundraising: EAT!  Barberito’s and FATZ Café have agreed to let us hold fundraisers at some of their locations.  All you have to do is get a ticket or a flier from staff at the Zoo or at Memorial Park, and then just show up at the restaurant, present that flier and buy your dinner.  On Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at both the East Side and Five Points Barberito’s locations, from 5 to 8pm, stop by and present them with a Bear Hollow flier (available at the Zoo office) and they will donate some money to the Zoo at the end of that night’s sales.

Join us for a pancake breakfast at FATZ Café on Lexington Rd, on Saturday morning, February 5, 2011.  Purchase your tickets in advance for $7, and you then just show up and eat some pancakes.  Tickets are available at the Zoo office or at the Memorial Park office.  Eating pancakes and supporting the Zoo?  That sounds like a win-win situation to me.

If you are interested in contributing to the Zoo, or if you would like more information on the projects we have going on , please contact the Zoo Office at (706) 613 3616 x21

Thank you for your continued patronage and support of Bear Hollow.  We are really excited for where the Zoo is going.

(p.s.- we'll get some pictures up here soon....our computer with a lot of our good photos from work is undergoing some maintenance right now!)

Posted by Berkeley

Frosty the Snowbear?

The weather outside is frightful! But luckily, the animals have nice fur coats to help keep them warm. And those who don't have other adaptations to deal with the cold.

Yesterday, the temperature steadily declined and I was on duty to ready the zoo for it. After cover hoses, wrapping spigots with towels and making sure each mammal had enough hay to snuggle into, I made sure the wind couldn't blow too fiercely into any of the night houses and that all gates were securely locked. But as I went to give the bear cubs their meal, Athena stood up next to the fence and she had little icicles hanging from her fur! She was still running around and playing with Yonah so it obviously didn't affect her. However, it makes you think about how truly amazing these animals are.

I spent my whole day bundled up in multiple layers of clothes and the bear cubs played all day, the bobcats roamed their yard and DJ the big bear.... well, technically he slept but he was still warm. Their fur coats are so incredibly thick that chances are, when the wind blows, they can barely feel the cold. I wish I had a natural coat like that.

Well that's about all I have for today. College finals are controlling my life these days but as soon as they are over, I hope to give an update every three days or less! Good luck to all of you with finals and we hope to see you all at the zoo soon!

Posted by Lynsey

If you can't take them to Waffle House, bring the waffles to them!

It has been too long since the last entry but we all have been busy at the zoo with Thanksgiving and such. I am a college student (graduating in 16 days) and my time is limited. But last Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I was able to spend my holiday at the zoo. I am so thankful for that. There is nothing more special than being with the animals you care for and being able to enjoy a quiet and empty zoo. I love seeing the public but it gives you a different perspective when it's just you and a few volunteers doing animal care.

I did something special for the mammals..... I made them waffles! Needless to say, they were a big hit, especially with those silly ole bears. I spread peanut butter on them to make sure they ate the first piece. When I handed the waffles to Yonah and Athena, they carefully took them from my hand and dropped them to the ground. However, once the taste hit their tongue, it was almost as if they vacuumed them off the ground! In two seconds, they were reaching through the fence, begging for more. Their second waffle was covered in grapes and honey. Talk about heaven! They wanted more but I had to ration them out to the other animals.

And of course, the big bear DJ got his own waffles (and the pieces from the first few waffles I made that fell apart in the iron). After I gave him the first piece, I'm pretty sure he forgot anything else existed. Such a big handsome boy and his nose was going crazy.

The opossums even had a piece each. The male was trying to figure it out when he saw the female chowing down. Needless to say, they swapped pieces.

Gus didn't eat his right away. He went for his corn instead. I assume he ate it eventually, or his little squirrel friends did, because it wasn't there the next morning.

All in all, it was a great day at the zoo. All the animals were active and enjoying their day off. Even they need a break every now and again.

Be sure and come out to the zoo, even though it's cold out! It's funny though. I have so much fun taking care of everyone that I hardly notice it sometimes. Hope to see you all soon!

Posted by Lynsey