HAVE
HAVE A
HAVE A NEW HOME AFTER BEING RESCUED HERE IN SAN DIEGO. JACKIE AND HER CUB RUSSELL WERE
GETTING A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR
WITH HUMANS IN THE SUBURBS AND
WERE TAKEN IN BY PROJECT
WILDLIFE RAMONA.
HERE TO TELL ABOUT THE BEAR
FAMILY'S BIG MOVE TO TEXAS ARE
CHRISTY GILBREATH FROM BLACK
BEAUTY RANCH AND ANDY BLUE FROM
THE SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
GOOD MORNING.
LET'S START WITH YOU, ANDY.
SO GIVE US THE BACKSTORY ON
JACKIE AND RUSSELL.
THERE THEY ARRIVED AT THE
RAMONA WILDLIFE CENTER.
I MEAN GIVE US THE STORY ON HOW
THEY GOT THERE.
>> JACKIE AND RUSSELL CAME TO
US BACK IN JULY OF LAST YEAR.
THEY HAD GOTTEN IN A LITTLE BIT
OF TROUBLE A COUPLE OF TIMES
PRIOR TO TWO BEING PICKED UP BY
CALIFORNIA FISH AND WILDLIFE
WHICH YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENS IN
SOME OF THESE AREAS THAT ARE
MORE POPULATED.
HOWEVER THEY'RE SO RURAL.
SO THEY WERE FOUND UP IN THE
LITTLE TOWN OF SIERRA MADRE
WHICH IS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
THEY WERE ACTUALLY RELOCATED
THREE SEPARATE TIMES OUT OF
THESE POPULATED AREAS AND KEPT
COMING BACK.
SO EVENTUALLY SHE GOT INTO A
LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE WITH THE
CITIZEN.
SO WE OFFERED TO TAKE THEM AND
THEY WERE WITH ABOUT 16 MONTHS
AND WERE REALLY GREAT TO HAVE
WITH US.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT MOVING TO
THE OTHER WILDLIFE CENTER HERE.
HOW JACKIE AND RUSSEL SETTLED
IN THERE FROM THE WILDLIFE
CENTER NOW AT YOUR LOCATION AT
BLACK BEAUTY RANCH IN TEXAS.
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
WHAT'S THE PROGRESS REPORT?
>> WELL, HERE AT BLACK BEAUTY
RANCH THEY'RE DOING GREAT.
>> THEY'VE JOINED 700 ANIMALS
THAT RANGE FROM 40 DIFFERENT
SPECIES THAT CALL THE RANCH
HOME.
AND THEY'RE ENJOYING THEIR ACRE
HABITAT.
THAT'S FULL OF TREES.
THEY HAVE AN IN GROUND POOL.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY
DID WHEN THEY WERE RELEASED
INTO THEIR HABITAT WAS CLIMB UP
A TREE AND JUST WITHIN TWO DAYS
THEY'VE ALREADY FOUND THEIR
FAVORITE TREES WHICH ARE A
COUPLE OAKS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A
LOT BRANCHES THAT PROVIDE OR
ARE KIND OF LIKE JUNGLE GYMS
FOR BEARS.
GOT YOU.
YEAH.
SO ON THE NICE DAYS THEY'LL BE
SNOOZING.
RELAXING IN THE TREES ON THE
COOLER MORNINGS WE FOUND THEM.
THEY'VE MADE LIKE A LITTLE NEST
AROUND THE BASE OF THE TREES
WHICH IS NATURAL BEHAVIOR WHICH
YOU WOULD SEE AND WE'RE
EXTREMELY HAPPY TO SEE THAT
THAT THEY'VE SETTLED IN AND
HAVE BECOME COMFORTABLE ENOUGH
AND THEY'RE MAKING SOME FRIENDS
TOO.
>> I MEAN THEY CAN HEAR THEY'VE
BEEN TALKING WITH OTHER BEARS
THERE.
I MEAN THEY'RE SETTLING IN WELL
,YES, THEY'RE SETTLING IN.
>> THEY CAN SEE THEIR NEIGHBOR
BEAR FRIENDS AND THEY'RE
COMMUNICATING WITH THEM AND
THEY'RE A LITTLE STANDOFFISH
WITH THEM.
BUT I MEAN THEY'RE CURIOUS.
SO I THINK WITHIN TIME, YOU
KNOW, EVERYBODY'S JUST GOING TO
BE HAPPY WHERE THEY'RE AT AND
JUST ENJOY THEIR LIFE HERE AT
THE RANCH.
>> ANDY, HOW GREAT DOES IT FEEL
TO KNOW THAT THAT THAT YOU AND
YOUR GREAT STAFF AND THEN THE
FOLKS MADE IN RAMONA THEY'RE
PLAYED A SPECIAL ROLE IN THIS
KIND OF HAPPILY, HAPPILY EVER
AFTER STORY REALLY?
I MEAN HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IT REALLY IS REWARDING WORK.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR WORK IS
WITH ANIMALS DISPLACED FROM
THESE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
FIRES.
SO BOTH WE HAVE ANIMALS BOTH
THAT ARE SANCTUARY ANIMALS SUCH
AS JACK AND RUSSELL.
AND WE ALSO TAKE ANIMALS IN
PRETTY REGULARLY THAT CAN BE
REINTRODUCED BACK INTO THE WILD
AND THAT'S REALLY OUR GOAL IS
REINTRODUCE THEM BACK WE HAVE
THEM AND GET THEM BACK INTO THE
WILD.
SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO
KRISTI AND HER TEAM.
BLACKWATER LIKE BEAUTY RANCH
FOR FOUR FOR TAKING THESE BEARS
BECAUSE IT DOES GIVE US SPACE
TO ACCOMMODATE OTHER ANIMALS
THAT WILL MOST LIKELY BE COMING
.
I KNOW YOU GUYS FALL IN LOVE
WITH THESE BEARS AS WE DO WHEN
THEY'RE HERE.
TOUGH TO SEE THEM GO RIGHT.
BUT BUT GOOD TO KNOW THEY'RE
THERE IN THE RIGHT HANDS.
IT CERTAINLY IS.
OUR TEAM HAS DONE A GREAT JOB
WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, COMING
FROM THE WILD AND GETTING THEM
ACCLIMATED INTO AN ENCLOSURE
TOOK A BIT OF TIME.
BUT THE STAFF WORKED A LOT WITH
THEM GETTING THEM LITERALLY
TRAINED FOR FOUR HUSBANDRY
BEHAVIORS TO GET UP ONTO A
SCALE TO OPEN THEIR MOUTH FOR
FOUR TEETH EXAMS, LOTS OF
THINGS WE DON'T GO IN WITH THEM
AT ALL SO THEY JUST NEED TO BE
TRAINED TO SHIFT FROM ONE
ENCLOSURE TO THE NEXT AND TEAM
DID A GREAT JOB WITH THEM AND
IT'S BITTERSWEET.
WE LOVE SEEING THEM GO.
WE'VE SEEN THE VIDEOS OF THEM
AT BLACK BEAUTY RANCH AND THEY
LOOK WONDERFUL THERE.
>> GUYS, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
GLAD