this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2024
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Four black bear cubs at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire, England, were treated to a unique enrichment activity - a swan pedalo ride!

Heavy rains created a small lake in their enclosure, and park keepers decided to place a swan pedalo on the water. The bears, named Harvard, Maple, Colorado, and Aspen, were immediately curious about the new object and wasted no time climbing aboard.

This enrichment activity is designed to stimulate the bears' natural foraging behaviors and keep their minds and bodies active. While a swan boat might not be a typical element in a bear's habitat, it proved to be a big hit with these curious cubs!

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[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Someone please write a sci fi about this image.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


A lucky group of black bears were treated to a pedalo ride after a lake formed in their enclosure.

After heavy rain created a mini lake in their 13-acre reserve, keepers at Woburn Safari Park decided to float a swan pedalo on the water.

According to Tommy Babington, deputy head of the carnivore section at the park in Bedfordshire, the bears were "immediately intrigued" by their new neighbour and "wasted no time in investigating" it.

"It was great fun for visitors to seeing them climb on board, and we love devising new ways to provide food, scent and habitat enrichment that stimulates their natural foraging behaviours," he said.

"Bears are naturally very curious animals, and keepers will encourage this with all kinds of enrichment through their habitat as this keeps their minds and bodies active.

The four black bears are two pairs of siblings - two male and two female - named Harvard, Maple, Colorado, and Aspen.


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