On Tuesday October 18th, Munsey and Boda had a grand time playing with a fire hose that was given to them by the Wildwood Zoo staff. The cubs swam in the deep pool area that is located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Habitat area. I was amazed as Munsey demonstrated his ability to swim in the 13 feet of water for over 30 minutes, while attempting to retrieve a section of the fire hose that had sunk to the bottom of the pool.
In the photograph below, Munsey is swimming with the fire hose that retrieved from the bottom of the pool.
The second section of the fire hose also sank to the bottom of the pool and to my surprise Munsey was able to retrieve that second section of hose. From my observation it appears that Munsey was learning to hold his breath a little longer with every attempt he made as he submerged his face into the water. It will be interesting to see if he masters this skill in the future.
Some of the staff from the Baraboo Zoo stopped in to learn more about the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit, and view the Floyd & Pat Hammus Bear Bridge and the Bear Woods.
If your planning a trip to visit Wildwood Zoo in Marshfield and want to see the cubs in action, I’d recommend that you come between 9:30 am to 11:30 am. The cubs have their breakfast around 9:00-9:30 am, afterwards the zoo staff will usually hide some fruit and vegetable snacks for the cubs to find. It’s always fun to watch the cubs go on a scavenger hunt for their snacks!
The cubs are served their lunch around 12:30-1:00 pm. After lunch the bear door is unlocked and the bears can go in and out as they wish, which means they could choose to take an afternoon nap inside the bear building. (If you find them napping, remember they are only 20-21 months old and they need their rest because they’re still growing. The cubs are now about 410 and 433 pounds, the cubs are considered mature at around five years of age.)
The tall center door located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit is designed specifically for Munsey and Boda. This door gives the cubs the ability to enter and exit the bear building. This door is also unlocked on the weekends.
Steve Burns (head zookeeper at Wildwood Zoo) brings a pail of fruit to the observation window and requests a little girl to assist him by ringing a cow bell.
During your visit please remember to donate a few dollars to help support the Zoo. You can find the collection canisters stationed at each of the zoo entrances.
iMAGiNETHAT! 