6 To Zookeeper Flo Yates, grizzly bears Mike, Boo and Thor are family. For nearly a decade, Yates has dedicated her time to caring for the brother bears, who moved to the Detroit Zoo as cubs following their tragic orphaning in Alaska. She has forged deep connections with them over the years, building memories she will carry for a lifetime. “I spend more time with them than my human family,” she says with a laugh. “They’ve seen me through so many stages of life, and I’ve been with them for so many phases of theirs. They are just my favorite, and they deserve the best.” Now, thanks to the generosity of Zoo supporters far and wide, they have it. In November 2022, the Detroit Zoological Society’s (DZS) annual Giving Zoo Day campaign (inspired by the Giving Tuesday generosity movement) raised more than $28,000 toward a mesh training wall that allows zoo staff to safely provide the bears with the care they need — including eye, teeth and ear exams, blood draws and medication administration. The wall also increases the bears’ well-being by allowing them to voluntarily participate in veterinary and medical care. “It’s so much better for them,” Yates says. “They have more choice and are more comfortable with procedures when using it. To have the wall be made possible by our community is just so amazing. I love that people love these bears as much as I do.” BUILDING A BETTER BEAR WALL After funds were secured through Giving Zoo Day, construction of the training wall took more than a year. The first day the brother bears were introduced to the wall, they scuttled into their training room, where Yates waited patiently on the other side with a bowl of their favorite treat — molasses. Though all the bears were initially timid, it did not take long for Boo, the boldest of the bunch, to march forward, place his paw in the inspection cubby and steal a lick of the sweet treat. The skeptical Mike followed not long after. However, Thor took weeks of convincing to utilize the wall. “Thor was scared for a while, but now they all love it,” Yates says. “They don’t even need treats GIVING ZOO DAY SUPPORTS GRIZZLY BEAR WELL-BEING
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