Bear World 2009

Have you ever seen a baby bear cub?
We have!

We had the privilege of seeing the cutest little fella a couple of weeks ago. Yellowstone Bear World, here in Rexburg, ID, was hosting a "photo with a cub" event, so we packed up the van and headed that way!

Truthfully, I was expecting to see several cubs crawling around on the floor, but when we got there, just one little cub was being cradled in the keeper's arms. In order to have the full hands-on experience, we paid the $15 for the photo. I think it was well worth the money for this chance of a lifetime!

Emily stayed home sick, so we filled her spot in the van with Hannah's friend, Mikaela.

Hunter was the first to hold the little cub. Doesn't it look like a stuffed animal? I was so afraid that it would scratch him and he would drop it! It did scratch and claw him, but he held it firmly. The keepers must have been a little afraid too, because they took the bear and handed it to Mikaela for the actual photo.

Just look at that little face. It was so cute. The keeper's were pretty protective of the little cub. Everyone had to sanitize their hands before touching it, and the kids were only allowed to pet the bear as it was being held by the keeper (after the photos, of course).

Connor came up to me and asked if bears were afraid of sharks. I thought it was a strange question until I noticed his shirt. He didn't want to scare the cub with the photo of the shark on his shirt. He was very concerned. I thought the bear cub looked like a mole in this picture!

After the photo, Connor stayed on the bench. He had a pouty face because he hadn't gotten his turn to hold the cub for his own photo. The keeper was really good about it though and let Connor hold the cub by himself.

I was behind the video camera, and James was behind the camera, so we didn't get to feel the bear's fur. The kids said it was so fuzzy!

What a fun day!