A 22-year-old grizzly bear named Boo woke up from hibernation and emerged from the snow in a video that has been going viral online.
According to Cat Cowan, the 32-year-old manager of the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Canada, on March 10, 2024, when the bear sensed that the temperature was rising, it decided to wake up and bask in the sunlight.
Boo was born in the winter of 2002 and arrived at its current home at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in July 2003 with its brother Cari. Their mother was shot by poachers on a road in the Cariboo region, leaving the young bears defenseless and with very low chances of survival.
Luckily, the cubs were rescued and spent a year in the Grouse Mountain Endangered Species Refuge in North Vancouver, while the KHGBR was creating a habitat for them.
Cowan said, “The design concept of KHGBR is to create a sufficiently large enclosure that mimics the natural environment, with a variety of ecosystems, diverse terrain, and food sources, to give the cubs the opportunity to learn survival skills through exploration, while also allowing us to understand grizzly bear instinctive behaviors. Their names pay tribute to their original habitat.”
Sadly, Cari passed away during its cub years. Despite its short life, Cari and its brother have helped save other endangered grizzly bear cubs in danger.
Cowan mentioned, “Research on Boo and Cari has helped promote raise and rehabilitation programs in British Columbia. Today, over thirty grizzly bear cubs in similar situations have been given a second chance in the wild.”
As autumn approached, Boo’s pace noticeably slowed down. Soon after, it began hibernating. In the last season, it entered its den in mid-December. The den was equipped with a small camera, allowing KHGBR staff to monitor the young bear.
Cowan explained that bears do not truly hibernate in the conventional sense. Their metabolic responses differ from other animals, as their body temperature does not drop significantly like true hibernators, and they do not secrete hibernation hormones. They might not be in a completely cold state and may wake up in their dens for a period.
As the weather warms up, bears become more active, entering a state known as “walking hibernation.” Cowan likened this state to a person waking up in the morning and staying in bed a little longer before deciding to get up.
When Boo finally decided to leave its den, it may only spend about an hour outside each day. Having spent a long time in the den, the snow and light can make it a bit disoriented during this time.
Gradually, Boo began venturing out more. It was a gradual process. Boo would typically leave the den on sunny days to roam around.
Cowan noted that initially, Boo would lay in front of the den. Over time, it started interacting more with its surroundings. However, it would not venture far from the area near its den.
Although Boo would eat snow, it would not drink water temporarily. With time, it started going to a nearby creek to drink. Soon enough, it would begin eating regular food.
Last year, bears in some areas exhibited irregular hibernation behaviors, Boo included during the winter. From December to March, it was in and out of hibernation. When the time finally came for the adventurous bear to exit the den, Cowan did not have high expectations.
Cowan shared, “Seeing Boo poke its head out didn’t surprise us too much, but we still found it amazing.”
The video of Boo emerging from hibernation quickly went viral on social media after being released.
Cowan said, “We received enormous feedback, and among many netizens, I think this is a very unique thing.”
Boo is beloved by fans worldwide, but it is not the only bear in the area.
“We are in a wildlife ecological corridor,” Cowan said. “As a result, there are many wild bears here. Our female bears have strong breeding capabilities.”
Boo interacts and meets with other grizzly bears but also has a personalized space set up for itself.
Cowan explained, “Think about bears in the wild, especially in the mountains, they consume a lot of energy a day searching for food. For captive bears, the biggest issue is that they often don’t use their muscles like wild bears do.”
Sometimes, bear caregivers hide food in trees or deep in the snow to encourage Boo’s normal foraging behavior. This helps it forage around, sniffing out scents beneath the snow. A bear’s sense of smell is highly sensitive, approximately seven times better than that of a hound.
Cowan revealed that Boo is a sociable bear, but as it ages, its personality changes. Interestingly, its pace of life has slowed down, becoming more selective in who it plays with and what kind of days it prefers. When Boo needs it, it will make time for itself, enjoying relaxation and sunbathing.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort offers private tour services where visitors can meet Boo one-on-one. The resort will open to the public in May.
Cowan expressed, “We look forward to seeing everyone; we are excited to enter the summer of 2024.”
Watch the video:
(Provided by Kicking Horse Mountain Resort)