Cute Baby Bear Videos for Wild Wednesday

Happy wild Wednesday! I had the great blessing of seeing these adorable Andean bear cubs (also called "bespectacled bears") in their habitat at the Smithsonian's National Zoo this weekend. This is the third set of cubs I've enjoyed watching but the most exciting because they're the youngest and smallest that I've seen yet. I have three videos to share today. I put the top one first because it had the nicest thumbnail but my favorite is the second one where the little bear climbs up and down a tree. The third one is worth watching because I zoomed out so you could see how high up the little guys climbed. Their cuteness warmed my heart and I hope they make you smile.

These cute little animals are still fuzzy. They're a little wobbly but already great climbers.

The rumor is that the baby bears, health and weather permitting, will be out most mornings from ten to eleven am and longer as they grow stronger and more resilient (and possibly longer on warmer days too). Apparently these two brother bears love to climb so if you visit I hope you get to see them climb in person.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless these little bears and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Baby bears playing: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/andean-bear-cubs-playing-and-eating.html
Andean bear birthday: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/01/andean-bear-cubs-birthday-bash.html
Dancing bear cubs: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/dancing-andean-bear-cubs.html

Dancing Andean Bear Cubs

Dancing Andean Bear Cubs: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2014

Happy wild Wednesday! Andean bear cubs Nicole and Curt (brother and sister) seemed to dance (they were probably play fighting) in their habitat on our last visit to the National Zoo. Andean bears are also called spectacled bears because of their unique facial markings.

Dancing Spectacled Bear Cubs: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2014

On most visits they seem to be sleeping so it was nice to see them active.

Playing Andean Bear Cubs: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2014

These are two miracle bears. They are rumored to have been conceived after their father died. You can read more about them here.

Andean Bear Cubs Dancing: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2014

If you live close enough to visit, you might want to visit soon because they may soon "go to another Zoo." Their mom already has a new mate, although the adult bears haven't been introduced yet. 

May God bless and keep you, dear friends!

What is your favorite kind of bear? 

Related posts:
Andean near cubs' birthday bash: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/01/andean-bear-cubs-birthday-bash.html
Little bear cubs playing and eating: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/andean-bear-cubs-playing-and-eating.html
Bear claw cleaning: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/bear-claw-cleaning.html
Lion and bear tongues: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/lion-and-bear-tongues.html

Zoo Fun with Jen & Martin

My dear friends Martin and Jen traveled all the way from New England to visit with me and enjoy a trip to the National Zoo. My favorite part of the zoo is currently the baby tigers. I'm not sure whether it's Sukacita or Bandar (those are the tiger cubs' names) in the picture with Damai, their mom, but they were both still super cute, frisky and fun.

Before we left for the big zoo we spent some time in my personal zoo (my home) and Moose the cat basked in Jen and Martin's attention. Moose let Jen hold her body and Martin hold her head (she likes that, even if it does look weird). Feral born Baby cat let them look at her in her sleeping basket, which is more than a lot of visitors get (she mostly hides under the bed).

The Andean bear cubs were enjoying the sun when we walked up to their exhibit but seconds later their keeper rang the dinner bell and they ran off to eat.

We toured the invertebrate house and even viewed a lobster feeding (I took a video; if anyone's interested let me know and I'll upload it to YouTube and share the link on my blog).

Then we enjoyed the small mammal house. I spent far more time talking with my friends than taking pictures but still wanted to share a taste of the zoo. I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you to Martin and Jen for allowing me to use their photo on my blog and, most especially, for the gift of their time and friendship! May God bless them and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Cheetah babies: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/cute-cheetah-cubs-and-wild-wednesdays.html
Red pandas: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/red-pandas-eating-grooming-and-grooving.html
Fish grabbing bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/fish-grabbing-bird-photos.html
Andean bear cubs' birthday bash: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/01/andean-bear-cubs-birthday-bash.html
Laughing llamas: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/laughing-llamas-or-funny-alpacas.html

Lion and Bear Tongues

Adult male Andean bear photo by Ben Wheeler

Male adult lion and cubs photo by Ben Wheeler

Enjoyed a trip to the National Zoo on this chilly afternoon. The lions cuddled and tussled on a bed of pine needles. The lion cubs are nearly the size of their parents now but still have the playfulness of children. The Andean bears (also called spectacled bears) enjoyed some treats placed around their habitats and you can see the papa bear just after licking one of his frozen treats (my guess is it was berries in ice).

I kept my fingers in my mittens but my husband braved the cold and kindly agreed to share these fun lion and bear tongue photos with you all. The radio announcer said the windchill was 16 degrees (Fahrenheit) when we arrived at the zoo so if you appreciate Ben's freezing his fingers for you please comment below and I'll share your comments with him.

Every visit to the zoo reminds me of God's amazing creative genius. May God bless you today and always!

Bear Claw Cleaning

This Andean bear appeared to have something stuck in his paw and I found it interesting to watch him get whatever it was out so I started snapping photographs. He did get the offending item out before we left and was walking around just fine afterward.

Hope you enjoy the Andean bear photos as much as I did. I think this is the male cub but it could have been one of the girls (his sister or mother).  The Andean bear family (mom, dad and male and female cubs) are out for viewing on weekends only at the National Zoo. Usually, the dad bear is in a separate habitat but they are near enough to watch each other. Thank you for viewing and may God bless you!

PS If you enjoyed this post you'll probably enjoy the Andean Bear Cub's Birthday Bash photos too.

Andean Bear Cubs' Birthday Bash

Earlier this month the National Zoo's Andean bear cubs celebrated their birthday. The zoo keepers placed some of their enrichment gifts out in the open and some up in trees. The twin bears appeared to have a great time tearing into their gifts (which included a giant phone book to peruse and shred) and it was a joy to watch them. My husband and I took these photos but we aren't sure who took which as we were passing the camera back and forth while enjoying the brother and sister bear cubs' birthday celebration. I hope these photos make you smile. May God bless you!


Note: According to signs at the zoo, the Andean bear cubs (also called spectacled bears)  are only on view on weekends so if you want to see them I'd recommend visiting on Saturday or Sunday.