LIBERTY THE BEAR
A Bear’s Story
Like many other black bears, I was born and lived in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in California. I lived with my mom who took very good care of me and taught me where to find comfortable places to sleep at night, how to catch fish in the rivers and how to find the best nuts and berries to eat. I liked living with my mom, but after a while, as many bears often do, I thought it was time to go off on my own. So off I went.
I wandered around the mountains for a while, exploring and well, just checking things out. It turns out that finding food wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. It fact, some days it was rather difficult. One day, I was roaming in the mountains, hungry, and I caught a whiff of something that I thought smells like it would be good to eat. I headed toward the smell, and came to a place with square, kind of bare, mountains and shiny smooth paths. There are lots of creatures there with no fur and some are eating. The furless creatures, who I later learned are called “people,” waved and smiled at me and brought things for me to eat. Their food is different from what mom taught me to eat, but it’s good. I particularly liked the tuna salad sandwiches and potato chips. It was so nice of the furless creatures, I mean people, to give me all this food. I ate until I was full and went back up to my pointy mountains where there was grass and trees. I saw the furless creatures disappearing into the square mountains, so there must be caves in them where the furless creatures kept warm and slept.
A few days later, I was hungry, again and decided to head back toward the place with the square mountains and smooth shiny paths, which I later learned is called Mt. Baldy Village. The people there seemed happy to see me again. They were smiling and waving and brought me some more of their food. I was beginning
to like this. It was much easier than digging around in the bushes and trees in the mountains for berries or wading around in the rivers and streams trying to catch fish who were swimming by. So, after I ate enough, I would head back to the mountains, but I would always stay close to Mt. Baldy Village. I figured that I would head back there when I got hungry again.
I quickly learned that even when the people weren’t around it was easy to find food at Mt. Baldy Village. They would leave it in cans and containers outside the square mountains and I would just pick what I want out of the cans and containers. After I was full, I would go back into the mountains again. I ran into another bear about my size in the mountains outside Mt. Baldy Village, and together, we both went into the village to get more food. Life was good.
One day I went down to the village to get more food and I saw some really good stuff in a big metal box that is open on one end. I crawl into the box to get the food. The next thing I knew, “CLANG!” the other end of the box slams shut and I could not get out! Well, I thought there must be some mistake and that one of the people in Mt. Baldy Village would soon come by and open the end so that I can get the rest of the food that I need and go back to the mountains. But that is not what happened. Instead, this fellow in a green outfit with a shiny gold badge on his chest brings in one of these big, shiny, noisy, rolling things, which I have since learned are called “trucks,” put the metal cage up to the truck and pulled it away from Mt. Baldy Village. We rolled over the smooth shiny paths all the way to a place called “Escondido.” I thought I could run pretty fast, but we’re going faster than I have ever gone in my entire life. The mountains and the countryside just whooshed by as we drove to Escondido. It was very scary at first.
The man in the green outfit, who I later learn is Ranger Kevin Brennan, took the metal box to his house in the hills outside Escondido. He brought the metal box up to a much bigger metal cage and let me go inside, where I stayed for a few days. Ranger Brennan was nice, but I have to admit, I was a bit frustrated. I could see the hills and mountains off in the distance, but because I was stuck in this big cage, I couldn’t get there.
At least I’m not hungry. Ranger Brennan’s cubs, Malachy and Alish, made me food. They mixed up 
blueberries, strawberries, grapes, salmon, bacon, scrambled eggs and avocado with a little maple syrup and this other stuff that I guess is called “dog food,” and gave it to me to eat. It was pretty good though I think I still like potato chips better. Malachy and Alish start calling me “Liberty.” They say that is because I was caught just before the “Fourth of July.” I don’t get it, but they tell me that its funny and I went with it. Liberty, it has a good ring to it. Malachy and Alish were very nice to me. They made sure I had everything I needed, but no matter how much I asked, they wouldn’t let me out of the cage so that I can go back to the mountains.
After a few days at the rangers house, Malachy and Alish, Ranger Brennan brought the metal box back to the cage and put some food in it for me. You’d think I would have learned from the last time to stay out of that metal cage, but the food looked too good. I crawled in to get it and once again, “CLANG!” there goes that gate, and I was locked in that little metal box again. We were back on the road again, but this time, I was used to whooshing down the highway. I had no idea where we were going, though.
After a while on flat roads, we slowed down and headed up some curvy, hilly roads. We drove through a little town that kind of reminds me of Mt. Baldy Village. The town was called “Julian.” There were lots of people around in Julian that day, which somebody told me later was the Fourth of July. As we drove through the town, there were people up ahead of us playing music and walking down the road waving at the people standing on the sides. We were at the end of this group, and drove past a viewing stand. Someone told me later that we were in the Fourth of July parade! I did the best I could to wave at the people at the side of the road, but that was my first parade and I did the best I could.
From Julian, we drove on more curvy and hilly roads until we turned off of the smooth shiny roads and onto a dirt road. It was a bit more curvy and bumpy, but there were lots of trees and mountains, more like home had been. Ranger Brennan took the metal cage to this kind of open space where there was a big sign. They told me later that the sign says, “Lions, Tigers and Bears.” Mom never taught me to read, so I have to trust others for that.
A blonde lady walked up to the metal box to meet Ranger Brennan. The blonde lady, who they told me later is named Bobbi Brink, says, “Welcome home, Liberty!” I wasn’t sure what to say because I wasn’t sure what was going on. Ranger Brennan brought the metal box back to a much bigger cage where they open the box and let me out. This is where I have been living and calling home for these past few months. It’s nice enough, but they tell me they are building a much bigger and nicer home for me that will be open soon. (As soon as they get more “money,” whatever that is.)
I really do enjoy living here. There are lots of people here besides Bobbi, and they visit me all the time. In the middle of my cage, I have a big round table and they put food, toys and other things on it for me. I don’t have any chairs, so if I want to sit at the table, I just hop on top and sit. There are lots of different places to sleep. I have a couple of hammocks that hang from the top of the cage that I can crawl into and get into a comfy spot off the ground, when I am in the mood. I have two big tubs of water, big enough that I could actually sit in them, if I wanted. I have toys, too. I have balls, blocks, and all sorts of miscellaneous items to play with. Sometimes people come up to the cages and throw me food. I always like that.
Once in a while, food or toys go into my water tubs. I used to get down into the water in the tubs to get the
food, a little water never hurt and it reminded me of fishing in the streams. Then I figured out it is easier just to dump the tub over, let the water run out on the ground and then just pick the food or toy up out of the empty tub. They refill it, so it’s not like I’ll run out of water. Yes, all in all I’m happy here at Lions, Tigers and Bears and I can’t wait to get into my new enclose here soon and tell you all about it.
Well, that’s my story. I’m Liberty the Bear and I hope you come and visit me soon.