Show-and-Tell #72: Grandfather Bear

Last week my parents went on a quick trip to Grandfather Mountain.  They had a great time exploring, shopping, hiking, braving the mile-high bridge, and mainly, just relaxing.  They were nice enough to bring us back some gifts from their trip.  Danny and I will hopefully enjoy our two bottles of wine soon and Emerson loves her new cuddly friend, Mr. Bear (not his official name).  We haven't named this cutie yet, but I am sure we will come up with something soon.  See the excerpt below about the legend of Mildred the Bear, this little bear is a stuffed version of one of her cubs.

In 1968, a local wildlife club asked Grandfather Mountain to participate in a black bear propagation program. Visitor Center Manager Winston Church was sent to the Atlanta Zoo to bring back a pair of bears for release the following spring. It was not until his return to North Carolina that Church realized he had two male bears. Arrangements were made to return to Atlanta for a female. By accident he was given the zoo's pet, which was raised by the office staff.

The two bears were retained in a holding cage until spring, when the male was released. He ran into the forest, never to be seen again. The staff waited to release the friendlier female because the Arthur Smith television crew was filming a show and wanted to use her in a video version of a tune called "The Preacher and the Bear." It was Brother Ralph Smith who gave his new co-star the nickname "Mildred."

Mildred preferred human company and refused to depart for the woods. She hung around and pestered the camera crew all day and when they finished filming, Mildred strayed into the valley in search of companionship. After several days of upturning trash cans at local homes, Mildred was returned by wildlife officials to Grandfather Mountain for safe-keeping.

For several summers, Mildred and her cubs, Mini and Maxi, posed for pictures three times a day, returning to their cages between "shows." Then, in 1973, Mildred and her family moved into a spacious environmental habitat built in one of the most picturesque spots on the mountain. The large enclosure allows the bears to make real dens and to seek privacy when they need it. Considered the most humane concept in zoo enclosures, the Grandfather habitats are truly the most natural setting possible for these bears.

(source: blowingrock.org - http://www.blowingrock.org/grmtn.html)

Maybe we will name this one Maxi!!!

Show-and-Tell #72

Grandfather Bear - Maxi

July 1, 2011

Mildred, Mini, and Maxi