Homeward Bound

The call of “home” is strong in many individuals. Just like you and I have that place

that is near and dear to us, a place we call “home”.... so too do bears.



I recently had the pleasure of retelling a story of one of my favorite bears. It was a small cub I had nicknamed Houdini who had escaped from the bear center (ABR) back in the day when the center was mostly a mere “fence in the woods.” To make matters worse, the cub had a surgically repaired hind leg that needed copious amounts of rest. Her shaved lower half plainly told the story of her recent misfortune. (Houdini's Story)

Upon her escape, one would think that after the bear had acquired her freedom, she would hunker down in the immediate area since her leg was probably still very sore and there were ample amounts of food for the taking. Add to the fact that since she had eluded my grasp, I was trying to lure her back with some extremely tempting treats. It mattered not that the tasty morsels were at the back of a few small traps designed to reclaim the lost bear. Needless to say, I was going to give her every scrumptious reason to stay in the area.

A few days passed, then a week, then a few weeks, which soon turned into a month, then two. I had to face the facts... she was gone.

But where did she go?

A few days later I knew exactly where.

Kim Delozier, head biologist of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, called and asked me if I recognized a bear with a shaved back-end at Chimneys picnic area...the EXACT SAME PLACE he had trapped the cub a few months earlier.

Houdini had gone home.

Given the fact that she was a six-month old cub, had a severely broken back leg, AND had traveled 22 air miles (heaven knows how many actual miles she traveled), this was not only a remarkable feat but it showed just how strong the homing instinct is in black bears, regardless of the bear’s age. Also, anyone that has ever trapped and moved bears can rightfully attest that they usually "show back up." In other words, they like to be “home”.


Now to the lesson...

As past curator for the ABR, I was often asked about the release of cubs and why we don’t try keeping some cubs together, especially if they “made friends” while at the center. The answer was simple in my mind but I finally realized it might not be so simple to someone on the outside, who didn't have quite as much bear experience. The answer was simple... I cared too much for their survival.

You see, bears, other than time with "mom" are not social animals. While at the bear center, the bears are sometimes forced to socialize due to the cramped quarters, they have no other choice. Some don’t even do that and they remain solitary throughout their stay. Most, however, tolerate each other and soon hang out together. Here is where it gets tricky and people wonder why we don’t release cubs together.

We always try to release the bears near where they came from, in other words, we try to release them as close to their “home” as possible. This way, they don’t wander so much. When they wander, they put themselves more at risk, not just from encountering other bears but from exposing themselves to people and other dangers. Crossing roads, stumbling through neighborhoods, and encountering numerous other obstacles all increases the bear’s chance of NOT surviving. Therefore, if a bear is taken to a foreign area and released just so he or she could be with another bear, there is a really good chance the two will soon split up and the bear that is released far from home may begin their long-distance travels. As you could imagine...this is NOT good.

So if two bears became “friends” at the bear center and are separated upon release  because they come from two different areas, it’s not because we don’t care about them, rather, it’s because we care too much for them. We always want to give our bears the best possible chance of surviving. Anyway...they are just glad to finally be HOME.