We moved Teton Totem, a grizzly bear, to a new, much larger pen. Bears don't like surprises. Surprises make them nervous. To help him adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings we gave him his old wooden den box. He immediately began inspecting his new quarters, padding counterclockwise around the entire perimeter of the pen nose to the ground, sniffing and touching lightly. When he finished his rounds at ground level he stood up to his full height. He walked around the perimeter on his hind legs to examine it at mid-height, patting the walls with his sensitive tactile pads. Having completed this round, he paused and glanced up. He looked at his den box, padded over, and leaning into it with his considerable weight pushed it against the edge. Clambering up on it as a stepladder, he carefully scrutinized the upper perimeter within his reach. He clambered back down, pushed the box over a few feet, climbed up again and inspected the next section. He systematically went around the top perimeter of his pen counterclockwise, using his den/ladder to explore every inch. Finished, he pushed the box to the middle of the pen and continued his investigations.

After checking out everything to his satisfaction, he glanced over at the heavy metal plates separating him from his new neighbors, the black bear brothers Major Bear and Huckleberry Bear. He retrieved his hard plastic bowling ball. Balancing it in his racquet-sized paw, he began playing a grizzly version of handball. He slammed the ball against the metal plates again and again with terrific force. The thundering crashes reverberated throughout the ranch. Major Bear and Huckleberry Bear were not pleased.

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