Please check out the link below to take a peek at two art books that I’ve created through The SKETCHBOOK Project. The titles of the two books that I’ve created are: SURIVORS II and A PEEK INSIDE.
SURIVORS II – Library Call Number:375.59-9 A PEEK INSIDE – Library Call Number: 375.59-8
https://sketchbook-project.meteorapp.com/library/S266231
There are days when Munsey and Boda are chillaxing in the winter sun, dreaming of the warmer spring and summer months that will bring the smell and tastes of fresh buds on the trees and little animals running around their habitat area and the refreshing water in their pool and their pond.
The winter in central Wisconsin provides Munsey and Boda a pond full of ice to excavate and Munsey case, it’s a supply of objects to toss into the air!
Boda is more interested in releasing his downed tree trunk, so he can move it around and show off his brute strength.
Munsey and Boda truly enjoy each other’s company and they are never separated from each other for more than 15 minutes. Of course, they are bears and they love to wrestle with each other. On Sunday, February 23rd, I documented the boys wrestling for about 45 minutes out of the 90 minutes I was charting their activities in the Bear Woods Habitat Exhibit.
After about 10 minutes of wrestling Munsey and Boda take a short time out to catch their breath before starting the next wrestling match. They aren’t growling or creating any loud vocal sounds directed at each other, usually just a lot of heavy breathing from the extensive physical activity.
Then it’s time to rest, roll and slide around in the snow and dig up more ice chunks to break apart or toss into the air. At this time Munsey is in the past 900 lbs. and Boda is over 1,000lbs.
Munsey and Boda spent their 5th Bear-thday enjoying meat/blood frozen ice cakes, unwrapping their cardboard birthday boxes filled with fresh fish and other bear-lightful yummy foods hidden in construction themed decorations placed all around the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Habitat Exhibit on Saturday, Feb 22nd, 2020.
There were over 150 zoo guests that attended the bear-thday celebration and the Wildwood Zoo Staff and volunteers worked for many hours preparing for the event and setting up the decorations and interactive educational activity center. Zoo guests brought Munsey and Boda many wonderful Birthday treats that the boys could enjoy over the next few weeks and throughout the years.
Munsey and Boda had a wet and wild afternoon pool party as they enjoyed each others company swimming in the 13-foot swimming hole located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Habitat Area at Wildwood Zoo in Marshfield WI.
These two loving brothers really can play rough with each other but it’s all fun and Games for these two guys!
(left to right Munsey and Boda) When I first arrived at the zoo this afternoon Munsey and Boda were taking a nap! Well, kind of taking a nap!
So if you happen to be visiting Munsey and Boda, remember if they are sleeping, it’s because they probably had a very active morning or play time. Once they’ve rested up, they are usually up and about chasing each other, swimming in the pool or in the pond.
Regardless of what these two boys are up to, I always find them endlessly entertaining to watch and document! In the two hours, I spent documenting the bears today at Wildwood Zoo I shot about 200 photographs of Munsey and Boda.
While I don’t like to dwell on our extended winter weather, this is what the first half of the month of April 2018 looked like in Marshfield, Wisconsin at Wildwood Zoo.
Even Munsey and Boda were looking forward to the snow melting and the fresh green grass and tender leaves emerging from the buds on the trees!
While I enjoy watching Munsey and Boda climb the tree’s in the Bear Woods, I’m ready for them to stop their climbing for safety reason’s. That’s 850 pounds of Kodiak bear up in that little tree!
On April 19th the weather began warming up and the pond in the Bear Woods no longer was ice covered, which allowed Munsey and Boda to enjoy swimming and water wrestling once again.
A favorite pastime for Munsey is finding a rock from the pond and trying to place it on the bridge of his nose and flip it into the air, while trying to catch it in his paw.
Munsey has practiced and refined his rock throwing techniques over the past two years and I have seen him successfully flip that rock into the air and smack it a couple of feet across the pond.
Meanwhile Boda is examining a large log floating in the pond.
I believe that Munsey has put in his application in maintenance management control, hoping to regulate the water distribution throughout the Bear Woods and JP Adler Kodiak Bear Habitat Exhibit.
The overflow from the large upper pond, allowed standing water for Munsey and Boda to enjoy. The extra water also created an opportunity for frogs and other small creatures to thrive in that area as well. So Munsey would spend hours pacing back and forth creating a deep muddy path, while hoping to capture a little creature that might happen to come his way!
Where there is a spout, there is water, regardless how far out of reach it might be for these guys!
This selection of photographs were taken on my birthday. I spent about an hour watching Munsey and Boda relaxing in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Habitat area and then splash around in the pond located in the Bear Woods. Munsey’s weight is about 760 lbs. and Boda’s weight is about 840 lbs.
(Photograph above) Munsey taking a sniff of the yummy stuff packed into the ice globes.
Munsey and Boda has a grand time chomping down on their frozen fruit globes filled with strawberries, banana’s, raspberries, peanut-butter, coconut, apple slices and a drizzle of honey!
I’m constantly amazed at the size and strength of the bears jaws! The smaller ice globes had at least an inch of ice shell with the fruit snacks packed into the center of the globes and the cubs bite, cracked the shell open without any struggles.
The small ice globes were made from 12 inch balloons and the larger ice globes were made from punch-balls filled with water and cracked open and stuffed with healthy bear snacks.
I observed how well behaved Boda was while Munsey finished off his small ice globe.
These little piggies don’t go to the market, the market food is delivered to them twice a day! The more important news is that this paw belongs to a 32 month old, Kodiak bear cub named Munsey ! As of Monday, October 2nd, 2017 Munsey weight is 605 pounds. For breakfast each cub eats about 5 lbs. of raw meat , a large pail of fresh fruits and veggies and 16 cups of bear chow.
Boda’s paws are a larger than Munsey’s because Boda’s weight is 720 lbs.
While most zoo guest’s think Munsey is the underdog in this relationship, the truth is these two bears are equally matched in the art of wrestling! Munsey has a greater advantage to out maneuver Boda because of Boda’s larger bone structure and over all bulky body mass.
After six weeks of separation, today is the fourth day that Munsey and Boda have been placed together in one habitat area. The cubs appear to be very happy to be together again once again! 
(left to right) Munsey and Boda sitting in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit, waiting for breakfast to be delivered by the zoo staff.
Today (9 /29/ 2017) I found the cubs play wrestling after they had their breakfast and snacks. The cubs play wrestled for about 30 minutes, afterwards they cooled off in the Bear Pond.
(photo’s below) On the first day together I found the cubs napping in their indoor den area. Afterwards the cubs swam in the bear pond and explored the swimming pool / bog area while Steve burns the head zookeeper was repairing the pump system.
iMAGiNETHAT! 