New grizzly cub at Woodland Park Zoo now has a name

SEATTLE — Woodland Park Zoo’s new grizzly cub now has a name.

Because of the bounty of ferns across the Pacific Northwest, the female cub was dubbed “Fern.”

The cub was rescued in Montana after losing her mother and arrived at the zoo in October, where she is in quarantine at the zoo’s hospital to ensure the wellness of other animals.

Fern’s mother was euthanized by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks due to a history of conflicts with humans. Non-lethal methods, such as rubber bullets, paintballs, electric fencing and noise-making devices failed to deter the bear, which had already been relocated twice.

“Bears are extremely smart and resourceful and can have more than a 2,000-mile home range. Even moving ‘problem’ bears to a remote location is generally not successful in the long term, as was the experience for this cub’s mother,” said Kevin Murphy, senior director of animal management at Woodland Park Zoo.

Fern was born last winter and was unable to survive on her own because bear cubs learn hunting, foraging and other skills directly from their mothers.  

“After Fern is moved to the bear habitat, she will go through behavioral training and get acquainted with her caretakers. The animal keepers will begin a series of introductions to the outdoor habitat and to Juniper,” the zoo said in a news release.

Juniper is a female brown bear cub that was rescued in Anchorage, Alaska in July.

©2022 Cox Media Group