Brody meets Cheyenne for the first time in 2022.
We can hardly bear our excitement! With just a few weeks until its completion, we’re quickly approaching the opening of our Black Bear Rehabilitation Center, affectionately known as Brody Bear’s Rescue and Rehab.
In partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Bear Management Program, this behind-the-scenes space will focus on supporting the population of Florida black bears by taking in orphaned cubs, rehabilitating them and releasing them into natural habitats across the state.
Our work with this native species began in 2019, when FWC rescued one of our current bear residents, Cheyenne, and brought her to us.
Cheyenne made herself right at home in our then-new Wild Florida bear habitat, and since then, our bear family has only grown! Today, our Zoo is home to 8-year-old Cheyenne, 5-year-old Brody and 3-year-old Betty.
In August of 2023, we decided we could do even more to help Florida black bears across the state. So, we began offering temporary housing and medical care for abandoned injured or sick cubs brought to us by FWC. In that time, we successfully released 12 cubs to sparsely populated natural habitats across Florida.
Advised by FWC, we release our rehabilitated cubs to areas that are less populated with people and other bears.
With our new rehabilitation center, we’ll be able to care for 15 cubs at a time, if not more! The cubs will be housed in our L3Harris Animal Care Center until they receive their first veterinary checkup. Once we have an idea of their condition, they will shift either to the new rehabilitation center or, in some medical cases, our quarantine barn.
This vast facility will include three indoor night houses, a space for keepers and a 3,500-square-foot outdoor yard for plenty of playtime!
The center was made possible by the generous donations of Pat McMahon and Bob Mansbart, two members of our community who fell in love with Brody the moment he came to our Zoo. The couple named Brody after their great nephew, who they had always affectionally called “Brody Bear.”
“There’s something special about Brody that just captured our hearts,” beamed Pat McMahon. “He had a hard past, and he wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for the Zoo.”
The orphaned cub, only a few weeks old when he was found alone on a dirt road, suffered from severe respiratory issues and a weak suckling response. Over the years, Pat and Bob have frequently visited Brody’s habitat, watching as he comes running up to greet them through the glass.
For Pat and Bob, supporting the center was about more than just honoring Brody’s story—it was about giving other bears a second chance.
“Getting bears that can be released back into their natural habitats is important, and this lets them live the life they deserve to live,” Pat said.
The outdoor yard will feature multiple platforms for the bears to lounge on, trees to climb and more!
“I am really looking forward to seeing the cubs in a more natural environment,” said Director of Animal Programs Lauren Hinson. “Seeing them run, play, climb, swim and forage in a natural environment will be very rewarding.”
Because we care for cubs under the assumption that they will be released back to their natural range, it’s important that we limit human interaction with them. By doing so, we reduce the likelihood of conflict between bears and people.
Our team monitors our bears remotely through several cameras inside their temporary homes, carefully watching for behaviors like eating, foraging, playing, problem solving, climbing, scent investigation and more. If a cub is injured or the habitats need cleaning, our team will put on a ghillie suit to avoid the cubs becoming acclimated to people.
A wildlife photographer wears a ghillie suit to disguise themselves while taking photos.
Another way we encourage healthy development for growing cubs is by teaching them “how to be a bear.” Since many of the cubs who come through our doors were found separated from their families, they’re often left without the opportunity to learn how to forage, socialize and perform other normal bear behaviors.
However, we’ve found that pairing cubs together in the same habitat encourages them to play, climb and interact with each other as they would in their natural range! This was the case for Pickles and Millie, two former bear cubs who quickly became happily attached at the hip after they were introduced.
Pickles and Millie snuggle side by side.
Lastly, understanding that every bear has different preferences is paramount for offering the best possible care. Our bear and wellbeing coordinator, Marc Franzen, carefully studies footage of each cub to tailor to their needs, brainstorming new enrichment, perching and structures for the cubs to lead their best lives.
“Seeing the cubs learn new things every day and develop necessary foraging skills is amazing, even if it comes via cameras,” Marc said. “Providing the cubs with new challenges to best simulate what they’d likely encounter in their natural range is a top priority for me. Doing what we can to help these bears be bears is what it’s all about.”
Contact FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) if you have found a sick, orphaned, injured or dead Florida black bear. You can also leave feedback for FWC commissioners regarding FWC’s Bear Management Plan here.