Munsey and Boda arrived from Alaska on Tuesday October 20th, 2015. The cubs were about 9 moths old and they weighed about 120 lbs. to 130 lbs. The cubs are named after Nate Svoboda a wildlife biologist on Kodiak Island and Mike Munsey a wildlife guide in Alaska. These two men assisted the hunting party guided by Harry Dodge in the rescue of the three orphaned Kodiak bear cubs. The third Kodiak cub (named Dodge) is living at the Toledo Zoo and has bonded with two female Grizzly bear cubs.
I began documenting Munsey and Boda because I fell in love with the two Kodiak bear cubs and the rescue story touched my heart, which motivated me to photograph the bears so I could incorporate them in my artwork.
During October of 2016, I decided to begin charting the bears activities and the locations of the activities to help me better understand the cubs for my blog and to provide this information to the Marshfield Wildwood Zoo staff with this information for their own documentation.
As of late I find myself charting their activities on a regular basis and have almost become addicted to this process. I still love photographing the cubs and I try to visit them 5 to 7 days a week for about two hours a day.
I believe the cubs know who I am when I come to visit and I enjoy interacting with them through the wonderful observation window that’s located in the JP Adler Kodiak Bear Exhibit area.
When zoo guests arrive to come and see the Kodiak cubs, I’m always happy to share any information I know about Munsey and Boda. I believe that zoo guests have a more enjoyable Kodiak Bear experience when they understand the history of the these majestic creatures.
iMAGiNETHAT! 