HOLDERNESS — Squam Lakes Natural Science Center just welcomed a young male American black bear into its care.
The cub was found abandoned along a divided highway in Utah when he was just a few months old. It is assumed that he got separated from his mother when she jumped over the concrete road divider and he could not. He was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Utah, where staff cared for him before determining that he could not be released back into the wild. In keeping with the Science Center's tradition of naming its animals after their geographic origins, he is named Wasatch, after the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah.
Wasatch was placed at the Science Center through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) American Black Bear Taxon Advisory Group. Following a routine quarantine period, Wasatch underwent his first physical examination and received a clean bill of health. He has been adjusting well to his new surroundings and will soon move into the Science Center’s off-exhibit Bear Habitat, where he will spend the winter.
The Science Center is already home to another American Black Bear named Randolph. Randolph arrived at the Science Center in October 2022 after being found orphaned at approximately 12 weeks old in Randolph County, N.C. He was deemed non-releasable after becoming habituated to humans during his rehabilitation and missing essential survival lessons from his mother.
Like Randolph, Wasatch will be an “ambassador to his species”, helping visitors learn about American Black Bear ecology and their role in the natural world.
Although Wasatch will remain off exhibit throughout the winter, visitors can look forward to seeing him on the Live Animal Exhibit Trail next spring.