Kids & Family
Minnesota Zoo Opens Bear Exhibit Saturday
The exhibit features three bears who are approximately 2-1/2 years old and is located on the Minnesota Trail.
Editor’s Note: The following is a press release from the Minnesota Zoo.
Beginning Saturday, Minnesota Zoo guests will be able to enjoy watching one of the true wilderness symbols of our great state up close: black bears.
Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Located on the Medtronic Minnesota Trail, the new exhibit features three bears who are approximately 2-1⁄2 years of age. Female “Tiva” and males “Syke” and “Kuruk” were orphaned in the Leech Lake area of the state as cubs. Their new home has all the features they need: trees to climb, a pool for bathing, a cave for napping, and hot rocks to lounge on during the cold weather.
“No animal is more firmly linked to the image of Minnesota wilderness than the American black bear,” said Minnesota Zoo Director/CEO Lee Ehmke. “Yet when we re- opened the Medtronic Minnesota Trail after its ‘extreme makeover’ in 2007, these iconic animals were missing. Now, with support from the Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, a beautiful new habitat for black bears completes the award-winning Minnesota Trail complex. Three young black bears, rescued as orphans, will delight our guests with their inquisitive and active behaviors, and a series of attractive viewing and learning spaces will help tell their stories, and the complex relationships between people and bears throughout history.”
Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
About Black Bears Throughout the United States, Canada and northern Mexico, black bears live in a variety of wooded and swampy habitats with dense cover. These omnivores eat plants, fruits, nuts, insects, fish and mammals. In Minnesota, they are concentrated more in northern counties. Mostly solitary, bears roam long distances in the fall to find food— especially acorns and other nuts—to increase fat reserves for winter. Mothers give birth to and nurse 2-5 cubs that are born during hibernation. During a bear’s hibernation, its body temperature drops about 10 to 12 degrees and its metabolic rate is reduced only by about half.
There are twice as many black bears as all other bear species combined. Many populations are actually increasing. American black bear populations are healthy, but threats include conflicts with people.
The opening weekend of black bears also begins “Tales Along the Minnesota Trail,” a partnership with the Minnesota Zoo and History Theatre. This 35-minute interactive storytelling musical portrays two young friends, guided through a musical journey that takes them back in time to meet some of the people and animals who have called Minnesota their home. Exploring the languages and stories of our state’s people beginning with the first people, the Ojibwe and Dakota, then the Voyageurs, then the Loggers, followed by the Homesteaders, with a singing tree, a directionally- challenged eagle, and some dancing fish along the way. Guests will receive a commemorative activity guide following the performance.
The Black Bear exhibit is made possible in part through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
A schedule of special events to mark the exhibit’s opening is planned for Saturday. See the zoo’s website for more information.