In a recent incident at a distillery in Bozeman, Montana, a black bear made an unexpected appearance, sparking amusement among the staff who joked that the bear seemed to have a taste for spirits and wanted to enjoy a good night’s sleep during hibernation.
Bozeman Spirits Distillery, located in the southwestern city of Bozeman, shared footage of the bear captured by surveillance cameras on October 21 at the facility on their Instagram page. The video also includes footage shot by onlookers as the bear wandered away from the distillery’s outdoor seating area and crossed the street.
The distillery humorously wrote in their post, “It’s on a quest for some Huckleberry Vodka to take back to its den for the winter. We’ve had some interesting things happen downtown, but this is one of the coolest!”
According to National Geographic magazine, black bears are found throughout much of North America, including northern Mexico. They typically reside in forests, are adept climbers, and may even sleep in trees during the summer. They also inhabit mountainous and swampy areas.
In addition to feeding on berries, roots, and salmon, black bears also prey on deer, elk, insects, and sometimes carrion (the carcasses of animals left by other predators). They are not picky eaters as their goal is to store as much fat as possible before hibernation.
By late November or early December each year, black bears retreat to their dens for hibernation. During hibernation, their body temperature and heart rate lower, breathing slows down, and they rely on the fat stored during the summer and fall to sustain them.
Male black bears typically leave their dens around mid-March the following year after hibernation, while females may stay longer, especially if they give birth to cubs around January. They need time to nurse and raise their cubs before emerging back into the outdoors in early spring.
Black bear cubs stay with their mother for one to three years, during which she teaches them how to survive in the wild. Once they are ready, they venture out on their own into the forest to establish their own territories and families.