Late Hibernation Going as Planned

(Placerville, CO) The annual mammal hibernation, staid and migratory, is going quite well this year. With just a week left in the season some 95% of fur-bearing animals are either asleep or dozing.

Although most biologists confirm that the driving force for the great sleep is instinctual some suggest that fatigue, boredom and lack of hunting options play a major role in the behavior. Bears and other larger species often exhibit symptoms common to other control groups when it comes to the stress of the summer and fall periods in the forest.

The bear are exhausted trying to fill their immense bellies on tiny berries and roots while carnivores complain that the prey has all but vanished on icy slopes and frigid woodlands in the Rockies. Underneath feet of snow life is not all that exiting either.

“They might just as well sleep,” said one Forest Ranger who plans to stay awake for the winter. “Somebody has to watch place. Even in an emergency it is no walk in the park to wake up a dreaming black bear.”

United States Forest Service and the Colorado Fish and Game officials are taking most of the credit for the smooth transition. Increased signage in the woods, easy access to caves, decrease human presence following hunting season and information leaflets dropped in the high country have contributed to an effortless hibernation this year.

This has not always been the case. Before the USFS leapt onto the scene in the 19^th Century it was chaos. Confusion and dread lead to anger and violence when food was scarce and caves were contested.

“Some bear actually wandered over the mountain to see what they could see and all that,” said the ranger. “We are the wards of these creatures and we intend to steer them correctly, even if it means a new toothbrush, warm pajamas and, yes, that drink of water in the middle of February.”

– Paula Parvenu