Jack, a wild black bear relocated to us by California Department of Fish & Game, lived at our Galt sanctuary for several years in a large, grassy enclosure with a pool, but we wanted at least a small forest for him to compensate for the freedom he had lost when he was captured.

In late September, 2011, Jack made the short journey to his new home in the Bob Barker Bear Habitat at PAWS ARK 2000 sanctuary in San Andreas, CA. Jack unloaded calmly, sniffing the air at the unmistakable odor of other bears, and spent the first night in his den area. We left him in his den to allow time for him to adjust to the smells and sounds of new neighbors — elephants, lions, tigers and other bears, OH MY!

The next morning, after a few preparations, we opened the gate releasing Jack into his expansive, heavily-forested habitat. He ambled out, shuffling and urinating, marking his new home, glancing over toward the other bears who were still inside their dens. Then he discovered the huge oak and pine trees, and, to our delight, rose to full height and scratched his back against an oak tree.

Jack spent his first day exploring and browsing on the treats scattered about the habitat and the succulent acorns that are a bumper crop this year. Bears and elephants love acorns, and this year's cornucopia has provided hours of dining pleasure to our residents.

For more information, visit our website at www.pawsweb.org.