What Kind of Bears are Those?

I’m asked many questions—some dumber than others—about bears and wildlife. One such stupid question came from Joe Public just a few weeks ago when I was participating in a grizzly bear workshop. Let me be clear. This workshop was hosted by a facility that houses grizzly bears in a zoo-like setting. The bears have indoor and outdoor runs and access to a large yard with a jungle gym. It’s like a zoo, but not. We were working with an immobilized bear, when a large group of spectators began to congregate and ask questions. Many times while working at this facility, I’ve heard, “Are those grizzly bears?” and “Are those black bears?” but not until this day did I hear, “Are those captive bears?”