It’s time to look back on 2024! Check our blog between Christmas and New Year’s for a variety of stories and memories of 2024 from the staff and volunteers of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
This year was certainly eventful for me, particularly because I was fortunate enough to join the Wildlife Center’s team as the Outreach Coordinator in early April! Even though I have been at the Center for less than a year, I have already experienced so much to look back on, though one particular event sticks out.
I quickly became familiar with the Center’s process of planning and conducting education programs of many varieties, most of which involve our animal ambassadors in some capacity. However, we received a program request in September that did not involve our ambassadors at all – the Lake Monticello Wildlife Committee, who chose to sponsor the Center’s Black Bear Cubs of 2024 on behalf of their community, were interested in a presentation all about the cubs! This was a really exciting idea, but I knew right off the bat that I wouldn’t be able to do this program on my own. I needed to consult the experts: the Bear Moms.
The Bear Moms are four members of our rehabilitation team and the only staff who are allowed to work with the orphaned cubs that the Center admits each year. The Center has strict protocols for raising these orphans to prevent habituation to humans. This meant that while I could certainly prepare a presentation about Black Bears in general, I needed help from the Bear Moms to gain insight into this specific group of cubs.
Thankfully, my colleagues Alex, Mac, Kavya, and Jenn were more than happy to not only walk me through the process of raising these bears, but also share even the smallest of details about the cubs, like each bear’s favorite food, their little quirks, and how to tell them apart from each other. It was wonderful to be able to include all this information in the presentation, but it also helped me realize just how much time and unwavering dedication goes into raising these orphaned cubs each year. (Spoiler alert: it’s a lot.) Especially when you factor in that our rehabilitators care for thousands of other patients each year, my admiration for all they do skyrocketed.
Additionally, Kavya was able to accompany me to the presentation itself in November to share their experience with the cubs first-hand. Overall, the presentation was a success, and I could tell that the audience was thrilled to have a Bear Mom there in person. The only thing that could have elevated the experience even more would have been the cubs themselves joining us … but I don’t think I need to explain why that wasn’t feasible.
To sum it up, preparing and conducting this program was a huge learning experience for me. I’ve learned enough about the cubs now where it almost feels as if I have worked with them myself, even though I have only ever seen them on the Critter Cams! On top of that, I was able to connect with my coworkers and gain an even deeper appreciation for everything they do, as well as the Center’s work as a whole. I’m extremely proud of everything we have all accomplished this year, and I’m excited to see what 2025 has in store – more cute bear photos would be a good start!
— Alison Meredith, Outreach Coordinator