More than 1,000 help Little Bear celebrate his first birthday.
More than 1,000 people turn out to Little Bear’s birthday party
More than 1,000 people flocked to Two Rivers Wildlife Park on Saturday and they came bearing gifts.
Little Bear, the park’s new star attraction, turned one year old Saturday.
“Some even drove from the mainland for his birthday party,” said park manager Johnny Huntington.
“They came with birthday gifts of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, apples and grapes,” he said.
Many people came carrying the fruit in actual birthday bags and some people even brought birthday cards. One birthday card read “Now you’re one,” on the front and was signed “Esther and Andrew MacNeil, Westmount.”
Huntington said some people gave donations or adopted Little Bear.
Little Bear’s saga began back in May when the black bear cub was discovered abandoned, dehydrated, severely underweight and suffering from pneumonia in Whycocomagh.
After a lot of time and love he was nursed back to health. However, he can’t be released back into the wild after being raised by humans and is too young to be put in with the park’s bears.
The Department of Natural Resources told the park they’d have to build an 18,000-foot enclosure with a pool — at a cost of $40,000 without the labour — by the end of the year or the bear would have to be put down.
Following a story in the Cape Breton Post, people have been rallying behind Little Bear across Canada and the United States to help raise the money.
Although the party Saturday was scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., people began arriving at 10 a.m.
Huntington’s wife Kelly, who is a park attendant, said the party had to be delayed until 2 p.m.
“At 1:30 p.m. there were still people waiting in line a quarter of a mile, all the way out to Grand Mira Road.”
Little Bear has a divider in his current enclosure and when it was raised so he could get his cake, he ran not for the cake but park attendant Mike Timmons. Timmons raised Little Bear at the park from Day 1.
“He just loves Mike,” Kelly said. “They hugged and wrestled and played for a bit.”
Little Bear is noted as quite a ham and loves a big crowd.
Little Bear’s cake was shaped like a teddy bear and included every type of fruit imaginable.
The crowd celebrated in a big way.
“Everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday,’” Kelly said.
Johnny said although the story in the Cape Breton Post asked people not to feed Little Bear, it’s obvious it the public — who love him so much — did
sneak him berries and fruit.
“We know people were feeding him as when it came time to take the cake out he wasn’t really hungry,” he said.
“He had fun playing with it though, dipping in the whipped cream and picking out berries.”
A birthday reception followed in the park administration building.
Little Bear had fun at his party but the next day was “beary” tired.
“It was like the day after a big party — almost like a hangover,” Johnny said.
The fundraising drive for Little Bear’s enclosure is continuing. To adopt Little Bear or to help out, telephone the park at 902-727-2483.