BC Grizzlies Shine with their playful antics in the bathtub

A pair of grizzly bears at a British Columbia zoo have become internet darlings this month, garnering online fans worldwide thanks to their love of lounging in an old clawfoot bathtub.

The photogenic pair have called the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops home since 2011, but it wasn’t until this year that they became social media sensations. Known as Dawson and Knute, the 13-year-old siblings rose to fame nearly a month ago when photos of the grizzlies were picked up by a media outlet in the UK.

The zoo is now enjoying an increased social media following thanks to the pair, BC Wildlife Park animal care manager Tracy Reynolds told The Epoch Times, adding that it’s hard not to share pictures and videos of the bears’ bathtub antics online.

“The way they sit in it is exactly like a human would,” she said. “We don’t generally like to anthropomorphize them but it’s almost impossible not to with those two because they’re always doing something super fun. They’re very, very hilarious.”

One of the bears’ favourite summer pastimes is laying back in the tub when an overhead sprinkler is turned on. The sprinkler takes the place of the park’s original plan to use the tub as an extra water feature in their enclosure.

That plan was foiled by the bears themselves. Despite the bathtub plug being screwed down with a metal plate, they pulled it out “almost immediately,” draining the tub completely.

“They didn’t really care that much about the water. They just really love the tub,” Ms. Reynolds said.

Despite how much Dawson, a 500-pound female, and Knute, a 700-pound male, enjoy lounging in the bathtub, they never fight over it. When one bear is using it, the other “just sits there looking sad,” Ms. Reynolds said.

The park recently put a call out on Facebook asking for the donation of another tub so the bears can recline in unison. They’ve received several offers but, until the second tub is bear-ready, the siblings will have to continue to share the one they have, she said.

Readying the tub for the bears includes removing the claw feet from the bottom, sanding out a few rust spots, and giving it a new coat of paint. Once that is done, the tub will be bear-resistant, she said.

“I won’t say bear proof, because they can break almost anything,” she added.

The extra bathtub donations will be set up in the black bears’ enclosure, Ms. Reynolds said. She is hopeful the four black bears will enjoy them as much as Dawson and Knute do.

Beating the Heat

Dawson and Knute were born in early 2011 and became permanent residents of the park later that year after being orphaned in the Yukon. The cubs were saved by wildlife officials after their mother was shot.

The conservation officers found them a home at the BC Wildlife Park just one night before the young bears were scheduled to be euthanized. The pair has called the 106-acre zoo home ever since.

The grizzly bears share an enclosure that features a shallow pool of water that helps them stay cool during summer heat waves, Ms. Reynolds said.

Both the grizzlies and the black bears have buildings with concrete floors in their paddocks as well as shaded culverts that allow them to enjoy the coolness of the soil.

Most of the animals at the zoo, including the bears, rest during the hottest part of the day and are more active at nighttime, she said, adding that unlike wild bears, their residents don’t have to hunt or forage for food in the heat. The animals also receive “enrichment treats” such as frozen chunks of meat.

While many of the zoo’s bears try to avoid the hot afternoon sun, at least one of the bruins is a sun worshipper.

“All of our bears are different,” she said. “Some will be in the building, some prefer being in the water, and another one just lays out in the sun, not minding it at all.”