Look Who it Was Random video

Are the bears fat?

1,748 views · Published 16 November 2017 · 0:37 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: Orphaned Wildlife Center · 2017 · Pets & Animals

Watch on YouTube

We have had a lot of comments these past weeks about the bears looking chubby or fat - and yes that’s TRUE! They do! The reason for that is the time of year. Right before winter, bears not only bulk up - they also grow a very, very, thick and fluffy winter coat. When you look at the bears most of what you are seeing is hair, not fat. In the spring they shed out this winter coat and then they actually look almost thin ....and their hair is patchy. It’s such a difference!  You almost might wonder if they are sick in the spring when you see them with these tufts of hair missing and that they look so much thinner compared to what you saw all winter. Ha! I’ll be sure to point it out in some spring videos this coming year.

And we are starting to get the question about hibernation again - for those that are new, bears in captivity mostly do NOT hibernate. They do slow down a great deal and most bears each much less (Jimbo goes from about 30 lbs of food a day to about 5 a day), but they do still get outside, play, and eat and drink. Frankie is the bear that eats the least and is the least active in winter. He is the black bear in this video.

More from this channel