IMAGE OF THE DAY: Brevard Zoo Introduces New Bear ‘Brody’ to Future Roommate ‘Cheyenne’
By Brevard Zoo // May 5, 2020
black bear cub Brody was found alone on a dirt road in Ocala National Forest
ABOVE VIDEO: Brody has moved into a purpose-built nursery that accommodates his needs in this stage of life, complete with lots of stuffed toys, blankets and room to crawl. (Brevard Zoo video)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Last week, we introduced Brody to Cheyenne for the very first time. This is the initial step in preparing them to share the bear habitat once Brody is bigger.
In late February, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel responded when a member of the public found a weeks-old black bear cub alone on a dirt road in Ocala National Forest.
FWC staff took the cub with them as they searched the area for his mother, keeping the young bear overnight as temperatures were forecast to drop into the thirties.
FWC had set up a remote camera over a blanket with the cub’s scent on it overnight, but no adult female was observed.
FWC had the cub examined by a veterinarian and cared for him for several days, which involved placing him in an incubator and bottle-feeding him every few hours.
The cub had an “uncoordinated suck,” which made him difficult to nurse and may have been the reason why he was abandoned. This condition and the resulting abandonment have been observed in domestic animals.
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