The bears of Korkeasaari woke up from hibernation – snow play and scratching in progress

One reason for the wake-up is suspected to be the mild weather early in the year. The longest uninterrupted period of hibernation lasted five weeks this winter.

The bears of Korkeasaari have woken up. The honey bears have climbed out of their dens today, Thursday, to marvel at the snow, the zoo says.

The female bears were out in their enclosure covered in snow.

The bears stalked the slope, digging for food in the snow and engaging in short bursts of running and wrestling.

They also fluttered in the snow and spent a good time, shaking their backs against the tree before retreating indoors.

The residents of Karhulinna were accustomed to their hibernation at the turn of October and November, but woke up for the first time at the turn of the year.

The sleep of 19 and 24-year-old bears was intermittent this winter. One of the reasons for waking up is suspected of mild weather in the early part of the year.

According to the zoo, the longest continuous winter season lasted for five weeks this winter.

It is challenging for a bear -sized animal to find enough nutrition from snowy nature, so in its northernmost habitats the sport can do well by sleeping over the winter.

In a winter sleep, the bear saves energy. The body temperature drops only a few degrees, but the metabolism slows down significantly.

In Korkeasaari, bears usually wake up in February.