From the window of the lift ticket office where I am, I can see Sarah and Moko well. Gently "hide and shoot" (^3^) so that you don't wake up with the sound of opening the window. Moko-san, I'm sleeping... I don't want my stomach to get cold, so the blanket looks warm! Hah! ( ゚△ ゚;) Σ I woke up! Dreams, again...　Does it feel good to sleep with your face out? After playing with the engine at full throttle ★ in the morning and evening walks, I usually relax like this. The customers who come often seem to be "friends"? I am aware that I am wagging my tail to greet you. Even when I was updating this blog, I was (^^) in a dream [Ito]

Rice straw is raked, carried with the mouth, and chewed to soften it to make a bed. It's dark and hard to see, but keep an eye out and watch them chew on it.

This is great news for zookeepers and customers alike. Bear Mountain's annual passport is finally born! Since its opening in 2006, the "Annual Passport" has been requested by many customers. It was born in response to happy opinions such as never getting tired of watching it, wanting to come back to see it many times during the season, and being able to see the ecology of bears that was different from the last time I came (>▽<) I want more people to see and feel the behavior of bears that change with the seasons. We zookeepers also hope that the passport will create an opportunity for that. Spring Bears munching on green grass. Often eat butterbur and clover. Early summer estrus season. There will be a lot of back rubbing and flaunting behavior. Summer: Bears who are hungry for the heat. Can you find them napping or bathing in the shade of a tree?! Autumn Autumn of appetite! At salmon events, salmon are chased vigorously. The bears are full and have a satisfied expression. You may even be able to witness a glimpse that even zookeepers rarely see. The way they climb trees and play with each other is hilarious, and the tense atmosphere when incompatible bears meet each other is also conveyed and overwhelming. Please come and see the bears of Sahoro with your passport!　　【Ito】 ★ For more information about the Annual Passport, please see "Latest News".

One of the zookeeper's jobs is to walk Sara and Moco. As expected of the director! It fits perfectly under your feet and is well-trained. ...There's a reason for this. Sara and Moco are playing happily while taking a walk. They will run as fast as they can to far away places, but no matter how far they get away, when you call their name they will happily come back. She begged the principal because she would receive a reward when she returned. Sarah and Moco are usually next to the lift ticket office at the ski resort. Moko is friendly, so she shows affection to the guests and asks them to play with her, but Sarah hides in the hut and doesn't come out. But maybe I really want you to play with me! ? Take a look at Sarah, who runs around very energetically during walks. Sarah is in the back. The rear view in the foreground is moco. Close the gap... When Sarah approaches, run away in a dash!≡≡≡He(*–)ノ It was too fast and I got a blur... Sarah runs with her nostrils fully inflated. She's a completely different dog than the one hiding in the shed ☆

Around 9:30, we headed towards the bear house along the path through the forest. The purpose is to observe and record the behavior of bears during their "winter hiatus." The observation begins by counting the bear's breathing rate. The method is to count the number of breaths by placing your ear against the handle of the ventilation hole installed in each room on the roof of the bear house. When the zookeeper separated the animals and pressed their ears against the metal handles to listen to their breathing rates in the cold wind, it was so cold that they lost sensation in their ears. In addition, it takes skill and experience to be able to hear only the sounds of breathing when the sound of the wind is interfering. Around 10:15am: Inside the bear enclosure, which has been cut off from light, teams of two will use flashlights to observe the bears, their bedrooms, straw and nests, and the presence or absence of ice. This series of tasks is absolutely indispensable in order to successfully complete the winter hiatus. 11:00 Cleaning the goat shed We have two female goats, ``Yuki-chan'' and ``Atsuko.'' 11:50 Sara and Moco urinate. 13:00 Enter bear observation data from the morning. We will carefully enter our observations into the computer, as they will be valuable data for elucidating ``winter confinement.'' 14:00 I go to the bear house to count the number of breaths. 15:00 Idol dog walk No matter how strong the wind is or how much snow falls, the dog runs around happily in the snow. 16:00 We will enter bear observation data in the afternoon and have a meeting at the end of the day. The final task of breeding is for the dog to urinate after dinner. 17:00 Leaving work! ! This was a one-day introduction to breeding work. Some of the breeding staff also work at ski resorts, so if you would like to hear about bears, please feel free to ask them. [Breeding Miyano/Kurokawa]

Hello. Today I would like to introduce a day in the life of a winter zookeeper. 8:00 We have a meeting to discuss today's work schedule and the status of the bears from the previous day. The day starts around 8:10 with a walk of the huskies "Sarah" and "Moko". Since he is a large dog, he takes time to exercise. After the walk, we disassemble and clean the sleeping cages (we also disinfect them to prevent illness). After breakfast, we move to the ticket office to greet skiers. Now she is the idol of my workplace and customers. ...Continue to part 2 [Breeding Miyano/Kurokawa]

He is using his forelimbs to knead the rice straw that has been replenished to make it soft. The rice straw is carefully raked down to make a bed.

Zookeeper job quiz. This is a review. Q: How do you put rice straw into the bear's room for sleeping? 1. Bears in winter move slowly, so replenish at Mach speed. 2. Wake up the sleeping bear and take it out of the room to replenish. 3. Replenish through the ventilation hole in the ceiling. 4. Remove the blinds and replenish from between the iron bars. Well, the correct answer was... 3. Refill from the ventilation hole in the ceiling. Did everyone get it right? There is a ventilation hole on the roof (ceiling) of the bear house, and rice straw is replenished through this small hole. Even zookeepers try to avoid entering bear enclosures as much as possible. No matter how slow the bears are, you won't be able to get close to them (;゜(E)゜) We make various beds for each individual, such as softening straight rice straw or tearing it into small pieces. (The photo shows a dogfish)

Keepers have a lot of work to do while the brown bears are hibernating for the winter. One way to do this is to feed each bear rice straw so that they can sleep soundly, but here's the problem! Q. How do you put rice straw into the bear's room for sleeping? Please choose from the following four options. 1. Bears in winter move slowly, so replenish at Mach speed. 2. Wake up the sleeping bear and take it out of the room to replenish. 3. Refill from the ventilation hole on the ceiling. 4. Remove the blinds and refill from between the iron bars. This Bear Mountain News is a continuation of the quiz, and I will post the correct answers later, so please look forward to it ヾ(*゜ー゜)ノ

What kind of animal did you imagine in the last footprint quiz? The first photo was the footprints of a red fox. A wonderful straight line! It's so eye-catching to see him walking with light feet (^^) The second photo is a snow rabbit! Did you notice that there are large footprints (hind legs) next to small footprints (front legs)? These large hind legs act as snowshoes, allowing them to walk quickly on snowy fields. I remember what I learned when I was little by looking at footprints in the fields and playing quizzes with my grandfather. This is the time when footprints are easy to find, so please have fun with the footprint quiz with your friends and family! [Ito]

In the morning, as I was walking along the path through the forest toward the bear house, I came across footprints of various animals. Now, everyone, who is the owner of these footprints? ! (Hint) Footprints extending in a straight line on the snow. She is adorable and popular. Kenkenpa, Kenkenpa, whose footprints belong to this? 　 ★The correct answer will be announced in the next blog★ You can also see the footprints of Ezo deer around Sahoro. During the winter when food is scarce, animals struggle to survive. All living creatures, including those that hibernate in the winter like brown bears and those that remain active during the winter, are all working hard to survive. I hope the owners of the footprints left in the snow field can make it through the winter safely! [Ito]

It's already been a week since 2009 started. The cold days are continuing, but are you sure you haven't caught a cold? In the wild, brown bears collect bamboo, dead leaves, twigs, etc. in their ``wintering holes'' and make beds with them. This will also help protect you from getting cold from the ground and from getting wet from direct contact with water. Bear's wisdom for spending a comfortable winter stay is impressive. At Bear Mountain, where a large number of animals are kept in artificial winter shelter, it is impossible to collect a winter's worth of dead leaves and twigs, so rice straw is used for bedding. Therefore, we try giving one or two bundles to the bears whose normal movements have become slow. Then, they each carefully gathered up a piece of straw that was scattered around the bedroom with both hands, put it in their mouths and chewed it up briefly, and kneaded it with both hands to make it soft.Each of them created their own bedding in their own way and began to sleep on it. Individuality can also be seen in the location and shape of their beds. → By the way, bears who are not ready to stay in the winter will scatter straw all over the room and make a mess. In the natural world, it is said that one of the factors that causes ``winter confinement'' is a drop in temperature and snowfall, but when it comes to ``artificial winter confinement'', bedding may also be involved. The reason why I felt this way was that even though the bear was pounding on the chute door and had no signs of going into winter hibernation, I gave it some bedding to try out, and it immediately started making a bed and sleeping on it. Also, this may be said because the behavior of knocking on the door has disappeared. At Bear Mountain, we are now preparing for a full-fledged winter retreat. [Ito] (Bonus) Experience the comfort of the bed and see the back of a certain zookeeper!

happy new year. It's a bit windy today at Sahoro, but we're celebrating New Year's Day with blue skies. Now, in mid-December, before the winter hibernation, we gave her a ``Kagami-mochi'' homemade by the breeding staff, following the Christmas cake. After viewing the exhibit (after confirming the object), the brown bears immediately held Kagami-biraki and ate fruit-filled ice cubes shaped like rice cakes for an early New Year's event. We hope that 2009 will be a good year for everyone, and we hope that many of you will come to Bear Mountain and meet us. Thank you for your continued support this year.

There is a theory that brown bears in the wild go into ``winter hiatus'' due to a combination of the accumulation of snow, their inability to find food, and their hunger, as well as the drop in outside temperature. In order to prove this, even at Bear Mountain we have periods where we do not feed the animals. We were also worried that the continued warm days would affect the animals' ability to stay in the winter, but due to the effects of low pressure over the past few days, the outside temperature has dropped significantly, and even inside the animal enclosure, the temperature has dropped to -5 degrees Celsius, creating the conditions for the animals to stay in the winter. In nature, their winter burrows are earthen holes or rock holes on mountain slopes, and in rare cases tree cavities are also used. So the other day, I installed blinds (using a control panel) on the iron bars in the animal enclosure bedroom to make the room darker so the bears could sleep calmly. 　→　 It also has a small peephole so you can observe the sleeping bear. 　→　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　“What are you doing?” I also wanted to feel like a bear, so when I entered the room, it was dim and unexpectedly quiet, like a different world isolated from the outside world. ``I can't believe I'll spend the next few months sleeping...'' I was once again impressed by the amazing abilities of brown bears. Before the blinds were installed, the bears were fidgety and restless when zookeepers entered the enclosure, but after the blinds were installed, some of the bears began to calm down. Continued from ~Wara Edition~ [Ito]

Siberian huskies Sarah (1 year old female) and Moko (8 months old) have become mascots for visitors to the ski resort. Sarah has a brave face but a kind personality. Moko is still a spoiled naughty girl and always follows Sarah around saying, ``Let's play, let's play!'' 　 Sara and Moco's favorite thing to do is go for a walk. They especially seem happy when walking on snowy days, scattering powdered snow and jumping around, and playing around with each other while being covered in snow. So I tried chasing him, but I couldn't keep up with him. （＾＾；） 　 　 Sarah and Moco are still a little ``shy'' at times, but they are popular with the children and are often stroked and called by their names. I'll be at the lift ticket office every day, so if you see me, please say hi! [Ito]

Brown bears are currently in the preparation stage for hibernation. Gradually reduce the amount of food you give your pet, including fasting days (no food). What causes bears to go into winter confinement in the first place? Is it the temperature? Is it snowing? Are you starving due to lack of food? There are various theories, but there are still many things we don't understand. Therefore, Bear Mountain has been conducting ``artificial hibernation in large numbers'' for the past two years. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind brown bears' winter confinement and help preserve brown bears in the future. A difficult story aside, the bears are scheduled to go into ``winter hiatus'' in late December. I might be in a deep sleep around Christmas... We planned this event with the hope that the bears would be able to enjoy a delicious feast by preparing early presents. A cake filled with fruits specially made by the zookeeper! （＾▽＾）/ The base is ice filled with my favorite apples and carrots, and a cake is placed on top. I made it with all my heart, but I wonder if they will enjoy it! As a representative of the 18 animals, we decided to have Santa, the youngest male, eat the food. Of course, I also shared some fruit with the other bears. Let me tell you how Santa is doing. Santa went out to the sub-paddock and was sniffing around the trees without noticing the cake that was placed in the center, but when he suddenly noticed the cake in the center, he slowly approached it and asked, ``What is that?'' Santa's personality is to be cautious when he discovers something new! I sniffed a bit and took a bite of the decorated apple...I copied the cake! As if thinking, ``This is delicious,'' he started eating, making puff-puffing noises and moving his mouth vigorously. After finishing the cake, she bit into the ice and ended up playing with it on her stomach. I hope all the bears were happy with the early Christmas present! I hope this will help you sleep and have good dreams. [Ito]

This year, the temperatures are high, and the bears are in good spirits, with no signs of sleeping much (winter confinement). Until I fell asleep, I said, ``I want to go outside, please let me out quickly!'' ” and are knocking on the door to appeal. I made some toys for the bears who look bored even when they go outside in the snow. ←It is made by connecting two rings with a string. As soon as I threw it to him, he started playing with it, as expected of a playful Santa! Santa is a very active bear (^-^) He also purrs! It was worth making this game to have so much fun playing it. I'm looking forward to having a ``hippikiko'' with someone next time. ...Please don't fight (lol) [Keeping Kurokawa]

I've been working at the ski resort for about a week now. Today I went to the animal shelter for the first time in a while to see how the bears were doing. When I went there, the bears were in the sub-paddock during the period when they were being housed, and they were waiting for the preparations to be made, shouting, "Hurry up! Dinner!" Inuo! long time no see! I messed with the joiner who was first in line, and he got mad at me, so I rubbed his back as if I wasn't going to lose. Lionmaru! You are peaceful. The bears' bodies are dirty because they were lying in the mud before the snow fell. I would like to wash them, but their fur will freeze at this temperature (^^;) However, even if we continue into winter, there are some individuals whose fur will become shiny in the spring. I wonder if the dirt can be removed by rubbing it against the bedding? Or do we experience physiological changes when we stay in the winter? It's difficult for humans, who don't have the ability to stay in the winter, to figure out what's going on. The bears have now passed their feeding period and are gradually reducing their food intake. As soon as I reduced the amount of beets (used as a raw material for sugar and is widely cultivated in the Tokachi region) that was mixed in with the dog's food, his stools became loose, so I reviewed the contents of his food and adjusted the amount of beets. Then, it turned out to be a good flight. Changing just one type of food can make such a big difference. Despite their large bodies, they are actually very delicate creatures. ←Food for 18 bears While I was visiting the bears, Sara and Moko were waiting for me. 　　←Atsuko and Yuki are doing well♪ [Ito]

2nd day of the ski resort opening The weather is nice today, with temperatures below freezing even during the day. The air is clear and you can enjoy a pleasant view. A photo of the direction of Mt. Daisetsu from the 7th lift landing area. From the left, you can see Tomuraushi, Mt. Ishikari-dake, Nipetsu, and Upepesanke. [komiya]

Sahoro Resort Ski Resort opened today, one day later than scheduled. Skiers and snowboarders who had been looking forward to winter were enjoying the feel of the North Street course as they skied it, and it looked like they were having a lot of fun♪ While taking photos, everyone was so excited that I thought, ``If it's going to be so much fun, I want to ski.'' By the way, the brown bears are not asleep yet. The breeding staff are currently engaged in a variety of tasks. In addition to raising animals, you can also become lift ticket issuer, rental staff, and cableway operator for lift operation! As ski resort staff, we welcome everyone while caring about the brown bears. And then a husky dog ​​came to the ski resort　He U・x・U　HeU・x・U If you love dogs, please say hello to them on your way to and from the ski slopes. *Please do not feed her. Left) Sarah, 10 months old♀ She is scared and immediately hides in the house. Right) Moko, 6 months old♀ Play with her x2♪ Please get her attention~I love it

It's been a long time since I last updated. Authentic winter is finally here. The ski resort is also scheduled to open on the 24th, so it's been a busy day. Not only the mountains but also the city is covered in snow, and the illuminations in front of Shintoku Station are beautiful this year too! (←This is a photo from last year) We had a cute guest come to our house yesterday. I was planting sunflowers in my garden, and it seems like they came to eat the fallen seeds. This spring, I was building a nest and raising my young inside the ventilation fan, so I won't be able to turn on the ventilation fan for a while! (I was moved to see them safely leave the nest...) Our home is popular with sparrows. Well, today we brushed off the snow that had piled up on the fall prevention nets on both sides of the promenade! I bent down and shoveled...it was a difficult task for someone like me who doesn't have enough exercise (´△｀;) It was so quiet inside the park, which was completely covered in snow, that I felt a little lonely. Next time, as winter approaches, I will do my best to update you on the bears' current situation. [Ito]

General Groups (10 or more people) Adults Children/Seniors Adults Children/Seniors Admission ticket Stroll while looking for brown bears from the 370m long, 5m high pedestrian bridge that crosses the park (approx. 10-15 minutes to Bear Point) 1,836 yen 1,080 yen 1,620 yen 972 yen Admission ticket with bear watching bus Includes a dedicated bus ride to get close to brown bears and a promenade course (approximately 20 minutes to Bear Point) 2,916 yen 2,160 yen 2,700 yen 2,052 yen *Children = 4 years old to elementary school student. Children under 3 years old are free. Seniors = 60 years or older (please bring proof of age) ★Up to 2 preschool children accompanying one adult or senior are free★ (Child rates apply for older children) ■Lunch pack Adult Child/Senior Admission ticket + hotel lunch 2,700 yen 2,200 yen Admission ticket with bus + hotel lunch 3,200 yen 2,700 yen・Lunch will be served at the Hanamori Kuma Cafe Restaurant inside the Sahoro Resort Hotel. (About 2 minutes by car) ・You can choose from the Hanamori Kuma lunch menu. ・Business hours for lunch are 11:30-14:00. Reception: Bear Mountain Ticket Office or Sahoro Resort Hotel Front *For groups of 10 or more, we will provide you with a special group menu. Click here for the group menu For more information, please contact Sahoro Resort Hotel TEL: 0156-64-7111. ■Let's have fun at Sahoro Pack This pack includes an entrance ticket to Bear Mountain with a bus and a selection of activities. After enjoying the brown bears, let's move your body and play under the blue sky. [Activities to choose from] *Choose one item of your choice from the options below. Easy experience canoe (30 minutes) / Mountain bike rental (1 hour) Eraser stamp / Nature craft / Table tennis (1 hour) Let's play at Sahoro Pack Adults Children 3,100 yen 2,400 yen Sales location: Ticket office, resort center in Sahoro Resort Hotel Validity date: Only on the day of sale Note: After sales, refunds will not be given even if the activity is canceled due to bad weather etc. Thank you for your understanding. […]

Business Period April 25, 2015 – October 18, 2015 ■Closed Days April 28, May 12 and 19, June 9, 16, 23, and 30, October 6 and 13 *The park was closed on May 26 (Tuesday) and June 2 (Tuesday), but will be open as usual for groups. However, the bear watching bus will be reserved for groups until around 10am. Business hours 9:00 – 16:00 *Last entry 15:20 *Business hours are subject to change. Thank you for your understanding. Bear watching bus operating hours All days 9:20, 9:50 10:20, 10:50 11:20, 11:50 12:20, 12:50 13:20, 13:50 14:20, 14:50 15:20 GW5/3 – 5/5 9:00, 9:20, 9:40 10:00, 10:20, 10:40 11:00, 11:20, 11:40 12:00, 12:20, 12:40 13:00, 13:20, 13:40 14:00, 14:20, 14:40 15:00, 15:20 *Schedule may change depending on group reservations or congestion.

When releasing bears into a sub-paddock, we have to select members based on the compatibility of the bears, rather than just randomly releasing them. This is because when a strong bear and a weak bear are together, it can put pressure on the weak bear to avoid getting injured in a fight during the critical period before the winter retreat. Every morning, I stare at the bear's room allocation chart (a list of which bears are in which rooms) and try to figure out what's going on. Today's members were all bears with peaceful personalities, just like today's Warm and Koharu weather. After walking around the sub-paddock and rubbing our backs, we each started basking in the sun in our own spots. Hmm? This…this feeling might be true! Is it a coincidence? ! They are perfectly aligned like the planets are in series! ! Rokuta, Kouta, and Joyner from the front Hmm, that's amazing...Joyner always has a seated look in his eyes. From a different angle - Kouta's back view Hiroki is doing his best to rub his back in the relaxing group. There was a toy that came out when you filled it with food and rolled it, but it broke due to the bear's strength, so I didn't use it for a while. Joyner didn't sleep and was wandering around all the time wondering if there was anything interesting to do, so I tried giving it to him. Everyone came closer and looked at the toys that were being rolled around and broken. As expected, the one I played with for the longest time was the ``Playful Joyner.'' [Keeper: Ito]