American Black Bears
Ursus americanus
STATUS: REGIONALLY THREATENED
The American Black Bear is the most common bear in North America, distributed throughout North America, from Mexico to Canada and California to New York. They occupy a huge range of habitat types and this is reflected in their diet and behaviors. They are omnivorous; their diet includes nuts, berries, insects, small mammals, salmon, young deer or moose calves, and carrion when available.
In the United States there are estimated to be over 300,000 individuals, and at least 600,000 black bears live in all of North America. Over most of their range in North America, black bear populations appear to be stable or increasing. Louisiana and Florida have had serious problems with their bear populations and have initiated steps to restore these dwindling populations.
Despite its name, the American Black Bear's color ranges from black to brown, cinnamon, beige, and even pure white. In eastern North America, most black bears are black. As you move westward across the continent, the proportion of brown color phase black bears increases. In 1997, a rare white phase black bear we called "Halo" visited the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. Click here to read about Halo.
Unlike most 4-footed animals, bears have plantigrade feet; they walk on their entire foot, with the heel and sole of the foot touching the ground. Black bears shed their footpads during the winter. You may see bears licking their tender new footpads in the spring. They have five curved, sharp claws on each foot, which make them excellent climbers; they feel as much at home high in a tree as on solid ground.
Technically, black bears do not hibernate. They enter a state of sedation referred to as torpor. Their metabolism slows down during the long winter sleep so that they do not need to eat, drink, urinate, or defecate until they emerge from their dens in late March or April. American Black Bears can remain dormant without eating for as long as seven months when food is scarce. The preferred sites for winter dens include small caves, crevices, geological features or beneath deadfalls or blowdowns. During this time, the black bear's body temperature falls to about 88 degrees F, from a normal of 101 F. The frequency of its heartbeat decreases to about 50% of normal, while other body functions diminish 40 to 50 percent. Females typically hibernate longer than males, especially while suckling cubs, retiring earlier in the fall and reviving later in the spring.
Black bears reach breeding age at about three or four, and breed every other year, typically bearing two or three cubs, though first time mothers often have only one. Black bears breed in the spring, usually in May and June, but the embryos do not begin to develop until the mother dens in the fall.
Where black and brown bears share habitat, brown bears are usually the dominant species, being generally larger and more aggressive. Other differences include the shape of their claws; the black bears' are curved for climbing and the brown bears' long and strait for digging; and the shape of their faces; the brown having a distinct bridge to its muzzle, the black having a long tapering face. Subspecies of the Brown Bear include the Grizzly and the Kodiak.
- Range: North America; Mexico to Canada and California to New York
- Habitat: Forest, scrub forests of the sub-arctic, near jungle, open tundra and plains along streams
- Life expectancy: 10 to 13 years in the wild, 20 to 25 years in captivity
- Size: 4 to 7 feet nose to tail; 30 to 42 inches tall at the shoulder
- Weight: Males average 300 pounds, females 200 pounds
Bonnie & Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde came to JNK's as rescues in August of 2002 at about 7 months of age.
Clyde was born at a roadside zoo in Ohio, where they bred and sold exotic animals and their offspring for profit and exploitation, such as using them for TV commercials and photo shoots, with no regard for their welfare or futures.
Bonnie was born at a disreputable exotics animal farm, also in Ohio, where they had animals of all kinds, kept in deplorable conditions, which were repeatedly bred solely for the considerable profits to be made on the sale of the offspring.
This farm also leased baby animals out for other people to exploit and make money on. When the babies grew too large and difficult or dangerous to handle, they would be returned to the farm, to then be taken to auction, where they were likely to be sold to the organizers of illegal canned hunts. (In canned hunts animals are caged, tied, or put in small, totally enclosed fenced-in areas where people pay to go to "hunt", shoot and kill the animal, to use as a trophy. Most of the time the animals have been declawed, tranquilized, and are weak and defenseless.)
Bonnie was bought from that animal farm by the people that owned Clyde at the roadside zoo. She and Clyde were to be used for TV commercials and then presumably discarded.
A friend of JNK's heard about the cubs plight and knew that time was limited for them; she had acquired the number for the zoo and passed it on to us. When they were called and asked what was going to happen to the bears after they were through being used for TV, we were told that they were going to be sent to an animal auction.
It was then that they were presented with the proposition that the cubs be taken to JNK's, where they could live long, healthy, safe, happy lives. The zoo's owners were hesitant, there was no money to be made from sending the bears to a sanctuary, but at least they didn't flatly reject the offer.
A couple of weeks later Bonnie & Clyde's owners called back; they were being investigated by animal welfare authorities and needed to place some of the animals. JNK's was given permission to pick up the two cubs.
When the Bonnie and Clyde arrived back at the sanctuary, they were given a health evaluation by a veterinarian, who also vaccinated and de-wormed them. They were in surprisingly good condition, except it was noted that they had been totally declawed. (Declawing large animals [such as bears, lions and tigers] is crippling. Their claws act as shock absorbers to support their heavy bodies, and are a total tool for survival. They use their claws to hunt, climb for food and safety, and are everyday necessities for living. In many cases the amputation of the digit at the first knuckle causes degeneration of the bones and joints all the way up to their shoulders.)
Now, due to Bonnie and Clyde's rapid growth, they are quickly outgrowing their current facility. They need larger living quarters that resemble their natural habitat, with a place to access open water and where they can hibernate in the winter months.
This is why we are asking for your help. To build them an appropriate habitat we estimate the cost somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000. We are also in need of indestructible enrichment balls, which cost $150 a piece. We are always open to other ideas for enrichment programs for their new habitat when it is completed. Any donation, monetary or time as a volunteer, is greatly appreciated. PLEASE HELP US WITH THIS URGENT PROJECT.
Bonnie
Female (Born 2.14.02)
RESCUE
Clyde
Male (Born 2.14.02)
RESCUE
