- November 5, 2024
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Sidney Lamarre watched in amazement as Bruno, a bear, caught a ring Bearadise Ranch owner Monica Welde tossed at him and put it around his neck.
Lamarre, who is 11, and the other campers at Bearadise Ranch's Kamp Kodiak gave Bruno a round of applause while Bruno clapped along with them.
"(Camp) is really cool," Lamarre said about the weeklong camp. "I really like bears. They're my favorite animal, and I really like to learn about them."
Throughout Bearadise Ranch's first Kamp Kodiak June 6-10, Monica Welde taught campers about all about bears.
"I love the opportunity I have to teach the children about bears and what they face in the wild," Welde said. "They've learned a lot and had fun doing it. It's been a joy."
By the end of the camp, campers were able to answer any question she asked about bears.
Lamarre said she was surprised to learn bears eat 90 pounds per day. She thought they only ate 10 or 20 pounds.
Leighton Cracchiola, who is 11, thought grizzly bears could only be one color, but she learned they can be brown, black, white and cream colored.
Mia Dyer, who is 10, learned black bears can climb trees better than brown bears.
Besides learning about bears, campers participated in various activities including sack races, karaoke and water games. They also did arts and crafts such as making bear visors.