Woodland Park Bear Cubs Celebrate 1st Birthday

SEATTLE — Woodland Park Zoo's newest brown bears both celebrated their first birthday in the Emerald City this week, just a few months after they first met.

According to the zoo, Fern and Juniper were both born last January and rescued from their native habitats in Montana and Alaska respectively. The cubs were without their mothers and too young to survive on their own in the wild.

The duo, deemed "Ferniper," became fast friends upon meeting in November and are now inseparable at the zoo.

"Juniper and Fern have been best buds since," said Tina Mullett, Woodland Park's animal care manager. "They spend the majority of their time wrestling and playing together or napping next to each other. The cubs are each other's enrichment."

Even as they celebrate their first birthday, the zoo said both cubs are growing fast. Juniper is the larger of the pair, weighing 280 pounds to Fern's 218 pounds. Bear keepers noted Juniper's reputation as boisterous, playful, and the "resident comedian," playing off Fern's more quiet nature.

For their big day, both cubs devoured ice cakes full of juice from apples, cantaloupes, carrots, honeydew, and other fruits and vegetables. Visitors can visit Ferniper daily at Woodland Park's Living Northwest Trail.