The photographs of Munsey and Boda were taken on March 21 and 22nd at Wildwood Park and Zoo in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The cubs legs are getting longer and the frame of the cubs is more massive at 13 months of age compared to when they were 9 months old. The cubs now weigh 220 lbs. and 230 lbs.
The Kodiak cubs were enjoying the woodland habitat but could smell Steve Burns (Wildwood Zoo’s Zookeeper) hiding a snack for them on the opposite side of the Floyd & Pat Hamus Bridge. Steve and his assistant cleaned up the JP Adler Kodiak Exhibit area and after hiding some food, the bears were allowed to come into the area and find their food.
Before I was leaving the Zoo on Saturday afternoon on March 12th, Munsey and Boda decided to go over to the woodland exhibit area and climb the same tree together. This is the first time I’ve seen the cubs climb up a large tree together.
The photographs were taken around March 11th,2016 the Kodiak cubs are enjoying the opening of their waterfall and pool area. Earlier in the day the cubs had been mud wrestling and digging up turtle shells and playing with ice chunks from their woodland habitat area. So I image that clean pool water was something they really enjoyed that day.
Today I spent three hours observing and photographing Munsey and Boda. The sunny day made it difficult to photograph through the fence but I still managed to obtain a number of very nice photographs. The images attached to this post are from a few close up photographs that I’d taken this afternoon, which I enlarged to help me develop the markings and the contour of the bears face as I continue to work on the drawings of the bears.
This video was taken on March 4, 2016 12 noon at Wildwood Park and Zoo. Munsey and Boda’s weight is about 200 lbs.
I’ve been documenting the growth and activities of Munsey and Boda since they arrived in late October 2015. I’ve taken over 3,000 photographs of the Kodiak cubs since they arrived at Wildwood Park and Zoo in Marshfield, Wisconsin. I’m in the process of creating charcoal drawings, etchings and collages inspired by the Kodiak cubs . The cubs were rescued by members of Mike Munsey’s hunting party after their mother had been illegally killed. Once Munsey received permission to rescue the cubs from their den. When the three cubs were rescued they were hungry, dehydrated , wet and dirty. The following day Nate Svoboda a wildlife biologist in Alaska retrieved the cubs and brought them to the Alaska Zoo. But he real story is that Brandon Stokes (a hunter) gave up a day of his hunting trip to climb a mountain with Harry Dodge while Brigid Dodge was keeping in communication with the guys at the home camp to go rescue the three cubs. If not for Brandon sacrificing a day which he paid to go hunting, the bears would of never been recovered and would of died the following day.
Munsey and Boda are named after Mike Munsey and Nate Svoboda. The Kodiak cubs were donated by the Alaska Zoo to Wildwood Park and Zoo located in Marshfield, Wisconsin in October 2015. The third male cub was flown to the Toledo Ohio Zoo.
I’ve often wondered how the third rescued Kodiak bear cubs was doing and where he was located to after he left the Zoo in Alaska. I recently found a news article written about the third Kodiak cub. The third cub is named Dodge and is living at the Toledo Zoo and has bonded with two female grizzlies. The link to the news article is attached below.
Munsey and Boda celebrated their first birthday at Wildwood Zoo on Feb. 21 st 2016. Here’s a link to a video clip on the birthday celebration. On March 3rd I was contacted by Nate Svoboda requesting a donation of photographs and video coverage of the rescued Kodiak bear cubs. I selected a few photographs from each of the days that I had documented the bears and also sent Nate names of other important people that played a vital part in creating the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit and the Floyd & Pat Hamus Bridge and woodland exhibit area. Nate will use the information to create educational signage for the Kodiak Bear Exhibit and possibly an educational video for the Marshfield Wildwood Zoo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGyowjs3grQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC03I-m9S_ZjduXjuIvczM5Q/videos
iMAGiNETHAT! 