An unsettled start to their slumber, and the early-than-planned wake-up call, means the bears only caught about three weeks of uninterrupted sleep this winter.
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The two female bears at the Korkeasaari facility woke from their hibernation a little earlier than planned. Image: Julia Peltola, Korkeasaaren eläintarha
Korkeasaari Zoo’s two brown bears have woken from their winter hibernation — a little earlier than expected.
According to the Helsinki island zoo, the noise from a leaking water pipe roused the two female bears from their slumber.
The pair had retired to their winter den in the middle of November, but the milder temperatures of the early winter initially interrupted their rest.
“We saw from the den camera that the bears often got up to stretch their legs, and we brought them light snacks. They sometimes peeked outside too, but then returned to sleep,” Korkeasaari animal keeper Susan Nuurtila wrote in a press release.
The unsettled start to their slumber, and the early-than-planned wake-up call, means the bears only caught about three weeks of uninterrupted sleep this winter.
The mild winters of recent years have impacted the Korkeasaari bears’ sleeping rhythm.
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The bears will gradually return to their normal eating and sleeping rhythms. Image: Julia Peltola, Korkeasaaren eläintarha