Bear Hollow Zoo in Athens will welcome wildlife enthusiasts of all ages Saturday for a bear birthday party.
The zoo’s oldest American black bear, DJ, is turning 22 this year. He shares an enclosure with Yonah and Athena, who are turning 15.
Megan Hong is the program specialist at Bear Hollow Zoo. She explains why they’re having the party this weekend.
“Bears are born around the same time every year, and this is when they’re the most awake, so we’re celebrating now. Right now they’re starting what we call hyperphagia, so in the spring when way more food is available they start packing on that weight to be able to prepare for next winter.”
She says that the bears, along with the rest of the animals at the zoo, are native species and can’t live in the wild on their own.
“They all live in the state of Georgia. They’re either non-releasable due to imprinting or injuries. You might notice some of our animals have more obvious physical injuries. All three of our black bears are orphaned cubs and the two younger ones, Athena and Yonah, came directly to the zoo as cubs. DJ went to another facility for around a year and then came here.”
The birthday party starts at 10 am on Saturday. Attendees can shop at vendors and participate in crafts. The main event, however, will be watching the bears eat homemade rice crispy treat cake, open gifts, and, as Megan says, likely return to their shelter for a nap.
