Wildlife West Nature Park is seeking donations to feed Maggie, their 2-year-old bear who can consume up to 20,000 calories a day, after losing their source for donated produce.
EDGEWOOD, N.M. — A local wildlife park is asking for donations to help their bear pack on pounds before winter.
Maggie is a 2-year-old black bear who lives at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood. She has a ferocious appetite.
“She gets more hungry in the fall because she’s preparing for winter,” Senior Animal Keeper Michelle Fishburn said.
She moved into the park last summer because she was a little too food motivated on her own.
“She was eating the dog food and kind of just being a nuisance. And so [The Department of] Game and Fish captured her with donuts, and they brought her here,” Fishburn said.
Maintaining Maggie’s diet, of more than 20,000 calories a day, and feeding dozens of other animals at the volunteer-run park, is taking a toll. Until recently, a store donated leftover produce to the zoo but a policy change quashed that agreement. In its place is a large food bill.
“This bear eats $1,000 a month of food,” Wildlife West Nature Park Founder and Director Roger Alink said. “Some months are more than that, so that’s quite a bit, plus all our other animals we feed. So we’re, we’re spending almost $4,000 a month.”
As they work to find another store willing to do the same, they’re asking our community for help to feed Maggie. If you’d like to help Maggie out, it’s as simple as bringing the park a bag of apples.
“She loves any kind of fruit, pretty much, and she loves nuts. She does eat some vegetables too. She likes sweet potatoes and, you know, things that are a little sweeter,” Fishburn said.
The park is asking for food or money donations to help them – and Maggie – especially as we get closer to winter.
“She doesn’t really hibernate here, but she does get really slowed down in the winter, and then she won’t eat too much, and she just needs all that extra energy to keep her warm and to help her survive through the winter,” Fishburn said.
The park is open seven days a week. They’re still operating on summer extended hours – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – and their winter hours are 12-4 p.m.
You can drop off food donations in-person and also donate online.
If you call ahead, you can even get a special tour and might hear some jokes from Alink like…
“Why is a bear in the desert like Christmas? Because they both have ‘sandy claws,’” he said.
Tickets for the park are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students of all ages. Kids 4 years old and younger, active military members and veterans are free.