The bear is a wild animal. And it is wrong to think that in captivity it can be better than in its natural habitat. By nature, he is not aggressive - rather shy, and more defensive than offensive. Life in captivity for an animal is a huge stress that can make a bear potentially dangerous. But sometimes, due to circumstances, an animal cannot live in the wild. In this case, a person who decides to take care of him must take care of keeping him in conditions as close as possible to natural ones.
Bears are nomads by nature. In search of food, they are capable of covering considerable distances daily. Therefore, keeping in a cramped cage or just at home is completely unacceptable for them. The bear needs an enclosure as large as possible and a place to hide if it feels threatened. The aviary should be well ventilated and have sun-protecting vegetation, as the thick bear fur can sometimes heat up to 85 ° C.
It is very good to have a pool in bear territory. Bears love to swim. On hot days, this helps them maintain a normal body temperature and hide from annoying insects. If the pool is deep, the animal can even swim, and the presence of unfamiliar objects on the bottom and surface of the water will entertain and stimulate his curiosity.
Bears are smart and curious, they quickly get bored with monotony. In addition, they have a keen sense of smell. Therefore, when feeding, do not put all the food in the bowl. Place the part on the territory of the enclosure - under stones, in hollows or crevices, hang or string on tree branches, etc. This will enable the animal to "get" its own food, help to occupy its time and avoid possible stress.
Place fresh fish in a plastic container, cover with water and freeze. Then remove the fish from the container and offer it to the bear in the pool or on the ground. The desire to get a treat from ice will take his attention for a long time.
In the natural environment, bears climb trees, they love elevated places that give an overview of the controlled territory. It is good if there are strong, knotty trees and boulders in the aviary. You can install wide rough stumps or build a strong platform next to the "den", protected from prying eyes by trees and bushes. Place a treat on the platform to encourage the bear to take lasagna. Make sure the animal can climb onto the platform on its own. To help him, make a few steps, nailing coarse logs or boards transversely.
Pile up sawdust or shavings so that the bear can wallow in them. Rebuild the slide daily by raking up shavings and replace them periodically. Place small logs in the enclosure that the animal can lift, roll, or tear with its claws, catching insects and treats hidden in the bark. Parts of honeycombs can be placed in tree hollows.
Bears are omnivorous animals, although plant food still predominates in their diet and accounts for approximately 75% of the total. In captivity, they should receive daily both animal feed - meat, fatty fish, raw and unprocessed beef tripe - and vegetable. Bears eat vegetables and fruits - carrots, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, boiled beets and potatoes, apples. They do not refuse rye bread and boiled oatmeal.
You can diversify the nutrition of such an animal by including seasonal feeds in the diet - cucumbers, tomatoes, red mountain ash and black chokeberry. You can give dried fruits and slightly fermented jam. Green food - grass, twigs, green legumes - gives, even if there is grass and trees in the aviary. Greens serve them not only for food, but also for play. It is useful to give the animals eggs and milk 1-2 times a week.
During the period of intensive feeding of fat reserves - from mid to late summer - it is recommended to adjust the diet, guided by observations of the dietary preferences of animals. Before hibernation begins, the diet becomes completely vegetable - berries, apples.
