The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Basis, the nonprofit group that operates the Grandfather Mountain nature park in Linville, N.C., is providing visitors a brand new alternative to get near nature by portray with the park’s beloved black bears.
New this yr, guests are in a position to go behind the scenes of the black bear habitats and watch as one of many park’s resident black bears creates a one-of-a-kind portray for individuals to take residence with them. This distinctive expertise not solely provides visitors an opportunity to create lasting reminiscences on the mountain but additionally gives useful enrichment time for the park’s bears.
“Portray is a enjoyable strategy to construct up a relationship with considered one of our animals and has been an efficient strategy to prepare the bears through the years,” Assistant Habitats Curator Deborah Anderson mentioned. “Since our animals have proven extra curiosity in these portray classes, we determined to supply them as an expertise to our visitors.”
Throughout this expertise, individuals will be capable of see firsthand how the habitat keepers work together with the mountain’s bears, in addition to be taught extra concerning the particular person animal.
The visitors will select the paint colours for one of many inventive bears to work with. Friends then watch from a secure distance behind a fence because the keepers lay down the paint within the enclosure, and the bear proceeds to stroll by the paint and place its paws over the canvas. Friends then select which portray they want to take residence with them. The paint that the bears use is unhazardous and fully secure in the event that they occur to ingest it.
“The bear that enjoys the portray essentially the most is Flower, however Smokey additionally actually enjoys the portray classes, as effectively,” Anderson mentioned. “The bears get heaps and many treats, something from honey to grapes and even apples, syrup or jelly, no matter we predict they could need in an effort to entice their inventive aspect.”
This distinctive expertise is out there on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and is obtainable by October. The price is $50 per particular person along with park admission, together with youngsters (and $42 for Bridge Membership members). There’s a minimal of two folks and most of 4 folks for this 30-minute intimate expertise.
“We’re loving with the ability to share this expertise with our visitors,” Anderson mentioned. “We love these animals and assume it’s thrilling to observe them paint, so we’re certain that visitors will share in our pleasure.”
Reservations for the Paint With a Bear expertise may be made by calling the Grandfather Mountain Habitats Workplace at 828-733-8715 or by emailing them at [email protected]. Whereas same-day tickets can be found every so often on the present store inside the brand new Wilson Heart for Nature Discovery, it’s endorsed to order your spot at the very least 24 hours prematurely.
Animal paintings is at all times on sale within the Wilson Heart. Prints and bookmarks made by the mountain’s resident bears, cougars, otters, snakes and opossum make nice items or mementos from Grandfather Mountain.
For extra info on Paint With a Bear, go to www.grandfather.com/paint-with-bear.
For extra info on different distinctive and thrilling experiences at Grandfather Mountain, go to www.grandfather.com/experiences.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Basis strives to encourage conservation of the pure world by serving to visitors discover, perceive and worth the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For extra info, go to www.grandfather.com.
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