Houdini's Holiday Surprise

An almost 20-year old blast from the past...Curator's Corner

A dear friend of mine, Dana Dodd, current President of ABR, sent me a copy of an old newsletter I had published for the bear center almost twenty years ago. Her hope was that it jogged my memory so I could rehash old bear stories from the center. Not only did it jog a fleeting old-man's memory, it sent me to a time long ago when I was living a dream. Instead of retelling a story already told, I simply copied it verbatim from the newsletter. I even left the bad grammar in it (as much as it kills me) so I could keep the authenticity of my earlier writings. I hope you enjoy and I hope I have improved.

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The fall and winter season of 1997 broad some unexpected challenges to the bear center. Besides the extraordinary number of cubs that were at the center, we were faced with the many unique situations which only such a group can bring! Thankfully, with the help of a few volunteers we made it through a Christmas we won't soon forget.

Not wanting to ask any of our volunteers to "bear sit" on Christmas Day, my wife Sandy and I decided to spend our first Christmas together alone in the trailer at the bear center. "Alone" is a miss leading term. There were 16 of us all together; myself, Sandy, Smoky (our dog), and 13 mischievous roly-poly little black bear cubs. We decided to head home for the holidays on December 26th instead. I soon found out even those plans were in jeopardy.

It was a beautiful Christmas and Santa was good to both of us. We were beginning to get excited about our long trip back to Buffalo, NY to spend some time with our closest family and friends. I already had the "bear sitters" lined up for the next week and we were packed when I decided to go down to the bear pens and check on the cubs for the last time before our hiatus.

Cubs sleep in the most precarious places. 

Everything looked fantastic. All thirteen tiny furball's were nestled in the trees dreamily sleeping away winter. And then it happened. I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen it with my own eyes! As I made my way around the north east corner of the pen I paused to look at the last group of cubs comfortably resting in a large crooked pine. "Rocky," "Calderwood," and "Houdini" didn't have a care in the world when suddenly their world was literally coming down around them. In an instant, the tree they were sleeping in snapped at the base and began to fall. I watched as all three cubs hung on hoping to get out of this alive. What made everything even worse was that the path the tree was taking was going to drop these bears right on top of the electric fence!

Now it may have been luck or fate, but I think an angel was watching over us that day because the tiniest of branches from a nearby tree caught the falling pine with its precious cargo. With a sudden jerk the tree was hung up in the other tree's branches and left the three cubs holding on with all their might. In fact, "Houdini" was jerked so violently, she lost grip with her back legs and was left dangling by her front paws only a few feet above the electric fence. After gaining her senses she soon climbed back up to a more secure position.

Hanging on until the ride stopped.

The cubs were fine but they were still left in a tree that was only an angel's breath from coming down. Luckily, two of the cubs realized their predicament and started heading down the tree right away. Both "Rocky" and "Calderwood" paused periodically because each step sent the pine a few inches closer to disaster. "Houdini" was still caught up in the boughs thinking the worst was over. Finally, the two bears leapt to the ground, safe at last, leaving only one cub in dire straits.

Houdini almost made her second escape.

Although this whole event only took a few seconds, I found myself standing there with my jaw dropped, staring in disbelief. When everything calmed down, I walked to a better vantage point to see the seriousness of "Houdini's" situation. It wasn't good. The branch that caught the huge pine was only a few inches in diameter and bending precariously. What made things worse was that the cub figured out the danger she was in and tried to crawl into an adjacent tree. With every shift in her weight the tree slipped a few inches in the base of the pine moaned under the stress. This scared the cub and she settled in determined not to move.

Finally, my heart began to beat again so I had to figure out what I was going to do. I made a mad dash up to the trailer to Sandy who was putting the last of the bags into the car. I told her the situation and then got right on the phone. Thankfully not everyone was away for the holidays because I soon reached Tom Faulkner, one of our board members. He placed a few calls and luckily rounded up a crew from Ogles Tree Cutting Service.

By the time everyone arrived at the center it was well after dark. We grabbed our flashlights and headed down to the pens hoping the conifer and cub remained intact. Luckily, the large pine was still hung up in the other tree but "Houdini" was still nestled in the broken trees branches. This eliminated any chance of us removing the tree that night.

With flashlights in hand and ropes in tow, the tree cutters did their work and secured the tree and bear temporarily. Being in the pens at night with six other cubs meant Tom Faulkner and myself had to keep a close watch over the locations of the other bears. Thankfully, due to our "hands-off" approach at ABC, all the bears remained fearful of us and kept their distance. When all was secure we sent the Ogle's staff home only to have them return in the morning to remove the tree. By that time, "Houdini" had made her way down and was once again on solid ground, safe and sound.

And yes… Sandy and I did make it home for the holidays!