Most weekday mornings fruits and veggies are hidden around the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit and other sections of the Kodiak Habitat area as an enrichment activity for the cubs. 
Category: Marshfield Wildwood Park and Zoo
Here are a few more photographs and video’s of Munsey and Boda enjoying their new toy (the fire hose). Sadly, I don’t have a video or photographs of Steve Burns (head zookeeper) retrieving the fire hose from the bottom of the pool.
Here’s a peek at the boys after they were first rescued and being nursed back to health at the Anchorage Zoo in Alaska.
Munsey. Boda and Dodge at the Anchorage Zoo.
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.
The hot wire that’s been protecting the observation window located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit area have been removed! About two months ago the hot wire was placed around all the observation windows to prevent Munsey and Boda from licking and eating the sealant placed around the new observation windows. Now that a new protective coating has been applied to the original sealant the cubs are free to interact once again with all Wildwood Zoo guests.
I often wonder what is going through the minds of both the child and the Kodiak cub while they’re sharing a hug. This is Munsey sharing a hug with a young Zoo guest early Monday morning around 8:30 am.
The cubs love to interact with the zoo staff while they’re cleaning the glass of the observations windows.
Casandra ( pictured above ) informed me that a few weeks ago Munsey and Boda had found a raccoon in the Bear Woods. Needless to say, the raccoon turn out to be an additional snack for the cubs that day.
Munsey and Boda now weigh 400 to 423 pounds. The cubs are now 20 months old and Munsey weighs in at 400 pounds, while Boda’s weight is 423 pounds. These photographs were taken on Monday October 2nd.
If you would like to purchase a photographic Kodiak Bear Book , greeting cards, writing journals, photographic prints, coasters or a deck of playing cards please contact me. The Wildwood Zoo Store sells my bear books and greeting cards. So stop in at the Zoo store (which is open on weekends) or contact me. A portion of the sales is donated to the Zoological Society!
New signage is on display in front of the Bear Woods section of the Kodiak Bear Exhibit at Wildwood Zoo. A team in Kodiak, AK and a team in Marshfield, WI. collaborated to create the new signage and the public can expect more Kodiak bear signage to be added in the near future.
This morning, Steve Burns ( Zookeeper at Wildwood Zoo) informed me that Boda’s weight is 415 pounds while Munsey ‘s weight is 400 pounds. I secretly keep hoping that one day in the near future Munsey will gain enough weight and catch up to Boda weight.
The photograph on the left was taken in October of 2015 ( the cubs weight last October was 120 – 130 pounds) and the photograph on the right was taken today. It’s been amazing to observe the growth and development the cubs have made since they first arrived almost one year ago.
(photograph on the left taken in October 2015) When the cubs crossed over the Floyd & Pat Hammus Bridge for the first time the cubs were lost behind the signage on the bridge. (photographs on the right taken this morning) Today the bears can be seen as they cross over the bridge. I’m looking forward to documenting the continued growth and development of the cubs over the next few years.
While visiting Munsey and Boda this morning I had the opportunity meet a few zoo guests and share some information with them about the cubs.
On August 17th, the cubs were swimming in the pond located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit.
It’s always hard to say goodbye to the interns at Wildwood Zoo! Thank you Amy for doing such a great job during your stay at Wildwood Zoo. Thank you for sharing information on Munsey and Boda! I always appreciated hearing new updates on the cubs! Best of luck to you in the future and I hope we see each other again soon!
Make sure you stop in at the Wildwood Zoo Store during your visit at the Wildwood Zoo!
Books and greeting cards are also for sale at the zoo store.
While visiting Munsey and Boda this past Thursday, I happened to cross paths with the staff from the Marshfield Community Television. The staff had just finished filming an interview with Steve Burns about Munsey and Boda. So, here’s the link to the interview covering Munsey and Boda.
I also had an opportunity to join a scheduled tour of the behind the scenes care and facilities of Munsey and Boda. I highly recommend that any visiting groups, families, and individuals schedule a behind the scenes tour of the facilities. The tour is very interesting and you get to experience how the cubs use the scale so the staff can document their weight, how the cubs are fed, and so much more. The Wildwood Zoo staff are very knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you to Cassandra and Amy (Wildwood Zoo Staff) for allowing me to take photographs of you during the private tour.
I didn’t include all wonderful behind the scenes photographs that I had taken because I don’t want to spoil the experience for those guests that have the opportunity to go on the tour. To schedule a tour, go to the following link. http://ci.marshfield.wi.us/visitors/wildwood_zoo/tour_information.php
iMAGiNETHAT! 