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The Grizzly Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, Montana
The Center adopts "problem" bears and orphaned cubs. Right now they've got 8 bears at the center. The
largest one weighs 800 pounds - although bears in the wild can get up to 2,000 pounds(!).
Bears in the wild need about 250 square miles for their territory. Here, they're rotated on a 2-acre habitat. Pretty sad, but
when you consider the alternative, I guess I'd rather see them here than dead. Plus, the center goes to great lengths to keep the
bears active and stimulated mentally. All of the bears are rotated into the exhibit in various social groups for different
lengths of time during the day with each day being different so they're not on a boring schedule of the same old thing day after
day. Before each group of bears is given their turn in the exhibit, keepers distribute enrichment. They'll hide food under
rocks, in stumps, in trees, in the water and in log piles. The bears will come out and can smell the food, but will have to
search for it and dig it out or climb for it. Each group gets between 45 minutes and 2 hours in the exhibit before they're
moved inside and another group of bears is allowed out.
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