The Tale of the Three Bears

Once Upon a Time, deep in a forest green, there lived three very spoiled -but loved black bears.  The largest of the three was named Brer Bear.  He was gentle by his nature, slow in his movements, but quick to observe and size up all the coming and going-ons of his territory from his favorite  abode.

Brer Bear - taking it all in

Brer Bear's favorite pastime was showing up for feedings.  He was a true crowd pleaser, and would often demonstrate the importance of good table manners and etiquette for all those who happened to pass by.

In a class all by himself

With all his social graces and charming disposition, Brer Bear still could not attract the attention of Lady Huff 'n chuff -the lovely cinnamon black bear he had known since his earliest childhood years.  She seemed to enjoy tormenting and teasing Brer Bear -especially during the months of May and June.  Every year it was the same, she'd parade about before his gaze, emitting the most alluring perfume, 'eau de cinnamon buns' -their eyes would meet, he'd follow her about, with his head in a cloud- only to be rebuffed and distanced by her backward glare and loud chuffing -it was too much to bear.  

Lady Huff 'n chuff

Being the true gentleman he was, Brer Bear settled into a routine of acceptance and understanding -after all, with 6 feedings a day life was good and he had few complaints.  


All was well for a few blissful months until his human caretakers decided to liven things up in his world.  Their idea of instant energy and motivation for greater activity came in the form of a small, 12 pound bear cub.

After 3 weeks of being contained away from the adult bears, the face to face introduction occurred.  Brer Bear, being both a curious and kindly sort, went over to investigate and introduce himself to this newcomer.  Oddly enough, the puny character ran right up a tree -coming down only to pick at the left-over food and then run right back up again.  It would be months before Mr. Mischief would work up the confidence to pester Brer Bear and Lady Huff 'n chuff and instill new life into their mundane existence.  

But once the games began, they were on-going & packed with trickery.  On land, Mr. Mischief could climb over, under, and around Brer Bear -and in the water, he perfected  scenes from "Jaws" with the ducks, taking time to occasionally splash his senior friend on the shore, hoping to entice Brer Bear in for a swim.  

Four years later, he still continues to endlessly invent games for both his own amusement, as well as for the amusement of all the guests who enter their home.

Such is life in the forest these days -two good friends who run circles around each other, and Lady Huff 'n chuff -who now has her hands full.

Lesson learned:

Accepting someone else's differences can sometimes allow for mismatched characters to  become the best of friends

Brer Bear in the late afternoon sun ~ always lookin' for something to eat

The first two weeks at the facility have concluded, and I'm finally feeling as if the period of adjustment is now settling into a routine.  Along with getting to know the resident bears, I'm absorbing the inner-workings of the center, the personalities of the people behind the scene, and a ton of species-specific information.

I've set up 'home' in a small house which is wedged between a back alley and the local hiking trail that wraps around what is commonly called "Miners Lake."  In the 90 F heat / 190% humidity levels we've had this last week, I've passed the lake every day and wished to no avail for a swimmer-friendly beach to appear.  Unfortunately, it's a mirage -meant to torment even the most heat-resistant human being, as the water level is located 50 feet below a sheer drop off. Even if one could survive the impact from such a height, the anticipation of submerging into a cool, blue lake is lessened considerably by the florescent red color of the water ~ a reminder of the iron ore industry that once existed in this region of the country.  The deep, blue lakes, I'm told, are found further outside of town, so I'll wait for the next nice weekend to set off and explore.

The delicate Lady Slipper is found in abundance in the nearby forests

My days have been busy at the center.  I've immersed myself in doing bear observations -an ethogram to help the center track the activity levels of the bears, I've learned the mechanics of delivering food, and made a list of the high value vs. low value food sources.  Most importantly, I've written up a proposal that is intended to help the facility get their training program up and running.  I anticipate having to begin all over again in order to untrain much of what is in place.  I feel that by backing up, we'll be starting from a clean slate, and hopefully this will help re-establish consistency, as well as provide the training staff with the basics of operant conditioning. As it stands now,  the bears have had one year to effectively train the humans, so I  anticipate running into a few problems that are commonly associated with extinguishing unwanted behaviors.  

There is both a positive and negative side to my situation here at the facility: the negative, of course, is being the new kid on the block, who comes in with lots of new ideas and tries to present new information -and even though it is grounded in scientific theory and the practical application of learning principles, it still means a change for people.  I have already encountered the backlash, and have had to write up a proposal -in addition to obtaining approval from all department heads who will oversee the training program.  The positive? -that I am in a place where I am needed, and above all else, the bears will benefit.

Lesson learned: 

(a very valuable one, for me!)

Have a flexible guideline and shaping plan for humans when introducing a new program because:

No matter what you are defining as "a beginner's level,"

No matter how well you've simplified basic information,

if you meet up with resistance or backlash, 

you've come in too high.

Lower your criteria !!