Mama Bear

We have new neighbours; a mother bear and her only cub. They have taken up residence in the bush somewhere close to the teacherages and make an almost nightly visit to our garbage bin. At first we thought they were so cute. It is great evening entertainment to watch them wander around; especially the nightly opening of the garbage bin that she struggles through.

Clean up after her isn't great. She is such a sloppy guest, leaving garbage strewn all over the place. LK is such a curb-appeal guy that he cleans up after her every time.

The mother is gorgeous - her coat is healthy and glossy. She takes her time strolling around and lets her Little Bear explore while they walk. She is the first bear that I have ever heard talking. She grunts almost like a monkey to him quite constantly as they walk. It sounds like she is telling him everything she knows about life.

The cub is the size of a small dog and was very nervous and shy a week ago. Now he seems to have settled in and is quite comfortable cavorting around his mama's legs. He is adorable with cinnamon coloured ears and a jet-black body. If he didn't have such a fierce protector it would be totally tempting to snuggle him like a teddy bear.

Last night Mama Bear was having her evening meal in the garbage bin - she climbs right inside and the lid shuts on her. You could easily walk up to it not knowing that she was inside... Anyway, she was having her evening meal and the poor cub couldn't figure out where she was.

He cried and whined piteously. No answer. He moaned and groaned like he was dying. No answer. Finally the scared little guy went tearing off into the bush looking for his missing mama.

Well, when her tummy was full, Mama Bear climbed out of the bin and grunted to her little guy. No answer. She grumbled and groaned. No answer. Then she showed why you should never mess with a Mama Bear and ran across the clearing in a second crashing into the bush after her cub. Not even a track star could outrun her!

I think this is a neighbour that we don't want staying in the neighbourhood, as our own little bears like to play and wander outside in the evenings. Somehow I don't think that Jo and bears are a healthy combo...