Black Bear Trail

The Barbara Ingalls Shook Black Bear Trail is an exhibit in the Alabama Wilds area of the Junior League of Birmingham-Hugh Kaul Children’s Zoo at the Birmingham Zoo.

The exhibit was developed with a lead gift from the Barbara Ingalls Shook Foundation along with support from the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Hill Crest Foundation, the Timken Foundation, Dr and Mrs Dennis Pappas and Iberia Bank. The zoo's junior board also hosted a "Tails in the Trails" fund raiser in May 2014.

The trail opened to the general public on Saturday, August 8, 2015. It spans just under an acre of land, and is designed to contrast a "wild" habitat with a "backyard" habitat to demonstrate how wild animals interact with different environments. The trail houses two adult American black bears, Betulas ("Bety") and Sassafras ("Sassy"), who entered the zoo's collection as rescued cubs in 2014 and were temporarily placed on exhibit in the Predator Building, across from the African lions Kwanzaa and Akili.

References

• Markham, Madoline (August 4, 2015) "Zoo black bear exhibit now open." The Birmingham News