TOWNSEND, Tenn. — For three cubs at Appalachian Bear Rescue, this week is big. It's Bear Awareness Week and during it, they received their temporary ABR tags to help curators tell them apart.
Hops, Barley and Bourbon all visited the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for an exam and to get their temporary tags for their stay at the nonprofit. Once they are released, they will get permanent ear tags issued by wildlife agencies.
Once the cubs were back at ABR, they hid and examined each other's ears — showing off them off for one another. According to the medical exam, Barley and Bourbon doubled in size during their stay at ABR while Hops grew from around 2 pounds to nearly 10 pounds big.
Officials at the nonprofit also said that the third week of May is Bear Awareness Week. They asked people to recognize the beloved and often misunderstood American black bear throughout the week. They also shared pictures of two tiny cubs — Bennie and Jerry from the cub class of 2013.