Just Being COY Canvas Print

This is an image of a COY (cub of the year) black bear taken at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota. The bears that come to Shutes are wild and they are free to come and go as they please. This year's cubs have put on a lot of weight and have grown since I last saw them in June. Black bears in Minnesota are now in hyperphagia mode. They are eating as much as possible in preparation for hibernation. I have read that black bears will consume upwards of 20,000 calories at this time. This is about the equivalent of 20 MacDonalds cheeseburgers! While black bears do hibernate, their body temperature doesn't drop much. They do not urinate or defecate during that time; nor do they drink or eat. This was quite a handsome cub. Mom has done a good job taking care of this guy! Can't get over the size of the paw on this little guy!

Thanks for stopping by. A retired educator, my main focus since retirement has been becoming more serious about photography. My wife and I live in northern Minnesota. Our favorite place to visit and photograph is Yellowstone National Park. My project for the past ten years has been photographing small birds in flight. The most frustrating endeavor I have ever attempted but also the most rewarding. Each day, it seems like a new problem has to be solved with this very difficult kind of photography! All artwork is copyrighted by Gerry Sibell and may not be copied, reproduced, altered, downloaded or used for any reason without written permission. All images are registered with the United States Copyright...