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It cost $20 per car to park and for an additional fee of $10 a group of visitors can go inside the bear's cage and feed a black bear while the attendant uses the visitor's own camera and takes 3 or 4 photos. Even though there was nobody else waiting in line, the two RV Gypsies were rushed into the cage, photos were taken, and they were quickly ushered out. Karen barely blinked and it was a done deal. But still, it was a unique experience. |
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The Bear Ranch is a healthy walk about and not a drive-thru. However, they do offer a trolley for the elderly and large groups. There is an elevated platform located at each of the habitats. The platforms offer a birds' eye view of the bears, their surroundings, and are great locations to see the bears at their daily 4:00 p.m. feeding time. |
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Two black bears growling at each other. |
Another black bear |
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Walking to the other habitats, there were lots of ant holes on the ground. The two RV Gypsies noticed one bear staying in a corner of its habitat and repeatedly walking in a very small circle. They asked an attendant why the bear was doing that, and they were told that the bear was rescued from a place that kept it in a small cage and it just didn't realize it now had freedom. How sad. |
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Bear Facts:
Although most Black Bears are black in color; they can be white, whitish-blue, creamy -white, cinnamon, chocolate, or reddish brown.
Black bears can climb trees, swim, and travel 25-35 miles per hour at short stretches. They are an average weight of 300-400 pounds as adults. |
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Because Karen has seen several bears in the wild (Black and Grizzly), she was not overly impressed with seeing bears in enclosed habitats, so she did not take many photos. However, it was an unique experience to touch and feed the bear, even though it happened so quickly. |
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