Bart

My boss and I went to set to hand out paychecks, then went up to see the animals. We got a little lost and ended up with the grizzly bear - actually, we came around a corner and saw him galloping across a field and stopped in our tracks (didn't see the live wire at first). But there he was, playing with his trainer in a field. Bart has to be kept separate from the other animals because he's afraid of the giraffes. He doesn't understand what they are and it makes him too aggressive.

The trainer had some tree branches that he would hold out at Bart, who would delight in running at them and batting them out of the way. It was so cool. He and the trainer would romp and wrestle and play tug-of-war with the branches and it was amazing to watch him move. His fur rippled and changed color as he ran and he would throw his head around to show his cockyness. I did notice the trainer had a big club tucked into the back of his pants - his daughter said it was because the bear doesn't feel your fists. Yikes!

Anyway, it turns out these are the same trainers who worked with Tank from Doolittle 2 and the original Bart from The Bear. This Bart isn't the same one or even an offspring, just a namesake. His mom was poached in Alaska and they got him at 3 months. He's 6 years now, and 1100 pounds of what equals an 18 year old human. So he is a bit full of himself. It was a treat to watch him play and I hope we get the chance to see the rest of the animals today.