For those on the hunt for some dopamine today; have we got an adorable story for you. The Woburn Safari Park in Ridgmont, England have given some North American black bears a new special toy. A swan boat, the kind you’d see in any scenic lake. The results are as cute as you’d expect!
Ridgmont has recently experienced some heavy rainfall, which created a small lake within the bear’s enclosure. So, park officials decided to capitalize on this, and give the animals a truly unique enrichment experience.
“There’s been so much wet weather this year, that a new mini lake has formed in the black bears drive-through at Woburn Safari Park, so we had the idea of turning this into interesting enrichment for them,” Tommy Babington, Deputy Head of the Carnivores Section, said. “The sleuth of bears was immediately intrigued by their new neighbour and wasted no time in investigating the swan peddle boat.” [Note: a group of bears is called a sleuth.]
The swan-shaped pedal boat has been an instant hit with the eleven black bears in the enclosure. Well at least after the youngest of the sleuth was the first one brave enough to check it out.
“Bears are naturally very curious animals, and keepers will encourage this with all kinds of enrichment through their habitat as this keeps their minds and bodies active,” said a spokesperson for the zoo. “The swan boat enrichment may be a less conventional approach to stimulating their natural behaviours, but it certainly was a hit.”
We hope all of the park’s enrichment experiments are as cute as this one!
