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.<\/p>\n
EDGEWOOD, N.M. \u2014 A local wildlife park is asking for donations to help their bear pack on pounds before winter.<\/p>\n
Maggie is a 2-year-old black bear who lives at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood. She has a ferocious appetite.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gets more hungry in the fall because she\u2019s preparing for winter,\u201d Senior Animal Keeper Michelle Fishburn said.<\/p>\n
She moved into the park last\u00a0summer because she was a little too food motivated on her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe 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,\u201d Fishburn said.<\/p>\n
Maintaining Maggie\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bear eats $1,000 a month of food,\u201d Wildlife West Nature Park Founder and Director Roger Alink said. \u201cSome months are more than that, so that\u2019s quite a bit, plus all our other animals we feed. So we\u2019re, we\u2019re spending almost $4,000 a month.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they work to find another store willing to do the same, they\u2019re asking our community for help to feed Maggie. If you\u2019d like to help Maggie out, it\u2019s as simple as bringing the park a bag of apples.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe 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,\u201d Fishburn said.<\/p>\n
The park is asking for food or money donations to help them \u2013 and Maggie \u2013 especially as we get closer to winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t really hibernate here, but she does get really slowed down in the winter, and then she won\u2019t eat too much, and she just needs all that extra energy to keep her warm and to help her survive through the winter,\u201d Fishburn said.<\/p>\n
The park is open seven days a week. They\u2019re still operating on summer extended hours \u2013 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. \u2013 and their winter hours are 12-4 p.m.<\/p>\n
You can drop off food donations in-person and also donate online.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n If you call ahead, you can even get a special tour and might hear some jokes from Alink like\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is a bear in the desert like Christmas? Because they both have \u2018sandy claws,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n