GARRISON, Minn. — Nine black bears were released from a Minnesota wildlife rehabilitation center find their permanent homes Monday, March 23.
The bears spent about a year at
wildlife rehabilitation in Garrison, Minnesota, said Katie Waugh, Wild and Free wildlife program coordinator. Seven males and two females were relocated Monday, with the help of the Minnesota DNR.
“This was our bear release day,” Waugh said. “We keep them all yearlong, through hibernation, and then around the time they’re coming out of hibernation, that’s when we have the DNR come in.”
Mike McMahon, left, and Katie Waugh weighing a bear at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
When the bears came to Wild and Free, they weighed anywhere from 3 pounds, 10 ounces to 21 pounds. On Monday, they weighed anywhere from 64 to 119 pounds.
Waugh said Wild and Free is the only rehabilitation center in the state to take in black bears and when the yearlings come out of hibernation in the early spring, the DNR comes in to facilitate their relocation to the forest to live out their bear lives.
“They tranquilize the bears, make sure they look OK and are ready for release, and then move them up north,” Waugh said.
Andy Tri, Minnesota DNR bear project lead, said they were getting the sexes of the bears, noting weights and putting ear markers on them.
Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
They are required by federal law to mark the animal’s ears with tags, as they have been given drugs and could be taken by a hunter in the wild and eaten, Tri said.
Most of the bears are brought to Wild and Free after being orphaned, Waugh said.
“It is insane how much care they need,” Waugh said. “We will keep them inside until they reach a certain weight requirement, then move them outside and make sure they’re moving around and still eating. Then we move them into our biggest bear pen, and that’s when they have trees to climb and they can practice all of their natural behaviors that they would in the wild. We have our couple of big bear pens for helping them acclimate to nature before we actually release them.”
Wild and Free relies on volunteers and donations to care for the animals. Last year, around 100 volunteers logged over 6,000 volunteer hours caring for all the animals.
Along with all the hours, the food for the nine bears over the year included:
Esbilac, a powdered milk replacer. They used 100 pounds last year at a cost of $3,020, or $336 per bear.Goat’s milk. They used 600 gallons last year at a cost of $3,000. That means 66.6 gallons per bear or $333.33 per bear.Dog food. They used 9,900 pounds in the last year or about 1,100 pounds per bear.375 gallons of apples in the fall. That means 41.7 gallons per bear. 150 gallons of sweet corn during the summer and fall. Each bear got about 16.6 gallons.300 gallons of produce throughout the summer and fall, to include: watermelon, cantaloupe, berries, and grapes. About 33.3 gallons per bear.600 gallons of acorns in the fall. About 66.7 gallons per bear.
“These are charismatic critters who wouldn’t have had a shot if it hadn’t been for a Wild and Free,” Tri said. “They do this solely on donations, so it doesn’t cost the state anything except for our mileage, time and a little bit of anesthesia drugs.”
Along with the bears, Waugh said Wild and Free takes care of almost every animal Minnesota has to offer. They do not work with adult moose, adult deer, skunks or wolves.
In 2025, Wild and Free took in over 70 bald eagles.
On Feb. 23, 2026, Wild and Free announced on Facebook they had taken in a black bear who was missing part of its right front leg. Then on March 4, they posted the bear had surgery and it was a success.
Tripod being moved to the large bear enclosure at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
Nicknamed Tripod at Wild and Free, Waugh said they had originally planned on releasing him back into the wild with the other bears but, after surgery, he was not moving around as much as they would have liked, so they decided to move him to the large enclosure on Monday to see if his mannerisms change. If he remains the same, they will look at moving him to a sanctuary in the future.
When someone finds an animal, Waugh recommends not immediately going up to it. With many of the cubs/fawns, their mother will leave them to go forage for food and then come back to grab them. She recommends waiting a few hours to see if the mother comes back. However, if anyone is not sure, they can reach out to Wild and Free to inquire about proper procedures.
“It’s really important that people know that we love this work, we’re passionate about this work, but we can’t do it without support from the community and support from the public,” Waugh said.
1/15: Bears loaded for release at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
2/15: Mike McMahon, a Minnesota DNR wildlife research biologist, working on a bear at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
3/15: Mike McMahon, a Minnesota DNR wildlife research biologist, working on a bear at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
4/15: Mike McMahon, a Minnesota DNR wildlife research biologist, working on a bear at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
5/15: Andy Tri, Minnesota DNR bear project lead, working with black bears at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
6/15: Hanna Leeper, left, and Mike McMahon, Minnesota DNR wildlife research biologists, are preparing tranquilizers for the bears at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
7/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
8/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
9/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
10/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
11/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
12/15: Wild and Free staff and volunteers working with the Minnesota DNR to prepare nine bears for transport at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
13/15: Mike McMahon, left, and Katie Waugh weighing a bear at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
14/15: Tripod being moved to the large bear enclosure at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch
15/15: Bears loaded for release at Wild and Free on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Tim Speier / Brainerd Dispatch