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Facebook update from the Sequoia Park Zoo:
Folks who followed Kunabulilh the black bear’s rehabilitation at Gold Country Wildlife Rescue have been asking for updates, and we have some fun ones!
Kunabulilh (aka Nabu aka Baby Bear) experienced torpor from December through early March and was the least active of the three black bears. He only lost six pounds during torpor, which is not unusual since he is still growing up.
Nabu the bear! | Photo: Sequoia Park Zoo
Like Tule, Nabu is an expert den builder, stuffing his den full of straw and other vegetation. During torpor, he even pulled straw in front of his den hole, closing himself inside.
He’s woken up from torpor completely now, and zoo keepers were met with a much more comfortable and confident bear than when he first arrived in 2025. His personality is shining through. He is very playful, especially in the evening. He spends hours playing with firehose puzzles, giant balls, branches, water tubs, and all sorts of toys. He seems to like it all! He spends a particularly long time interacting with piles of sheared wool.
He is getting so big! His coat is a very light brown color, making him stand out clearly from Tule (dark brown) and Ishŭng (black). His outer guard hairs are long, though he has scruffy areas on his back. His undercoat is still relatively thin for a black bear, which was expected after his long medical journey.
While he lounges on top of his den inside most mornings, Nabu usually chooses to spend his afternoons in part of the front yard habitat. His comfort in this space is growing. He relaxes on Ishŭng’s fidget spinner platform (which he also plays with!) and interacts with different toys and logs. Having partial access to the front yard allows keepers to train with Nabu, helping him learn important skills like quickly coming back into the night house in case of an emergency.
From the yard, he also has the opportunity to see what Tule and Ishŭng are doing. Nabu and Tule spend a lot of time together, each on one side of the temporary fence in the front yard. Tule even tries to solicit play from Nabu. Nabu watches Tule calmly but also bluff charges at him sometimes, so they’re still getting to know each other.
Once Nabu’s training progresses more, he will take turns having access to the entire front yard! We don’t expect him to share space physically with the bigger bears until he grows up a little bit more, too.
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