April enrichment photos and video

At the WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center, we have an enrichment program aimed at keeping our bears physically healthy and mentally stimulated. Every month, we’ll show the new or different activities and physical challenges our bears can tackle.

Here, center manager Brandon Evans Hutzenbiler prepares the play structure in the exercise yard with hidden treats for the bears to find.

Among the treats are apples, breakfast cereal, and occasionally a cream cheese cover to provide a little extra treat and challenge.

And here are two videos of the two-year-old bears as they’re released into the exercise yard to find their hidden goodies, and then digging them out.