Do bears sleep in the woods?

Did you ever wonder where bears go in the winter? I think I found the place. The Thrift Shop.

Every time J and I visit the local thrift stores, whether they are Thrift Shops or Salvation Army stores or Goodwill outlets, we inevitably see evidence that bears hibernate in these stores by choice.

First, they put a tag on their toes, with a number on it. This number apparently is a warning to whoever interrupts their sleep that there will be some small price to pay for this action.

Then, they find themselves a place to hang out, which may sometimes be a hook or a shelf, or a table or even an old couch or rocking chair. I have seen a number of them holed up in a big hammock made of netting. As soon as things settle down, they apparently go to sleep. I always think that the ones that hang upside down are somewhat batty.

In the light of global warming, this strange habit of bears may be a good thing. Even in cold, remote Russia, there are bears that are going without hibernating. It is important, I think, that some bears, not just sun-bears, preserve this longstanding tradition of hibernation.

When you approach a tagged bear and turn over its toe tag to see what its number is, it inevitably wakes up and leaps into your arms. It seems heartless to put the animal back after that. And so a bear or two will generally find itself snuggling into your bed or a bookshelf or a mantel, settling back into a far more comfortable state of hibernation.

The latest one is Ferguson.