Three new bear cubs join Bearizona Wildlife Park

Bearizona Photo

Bearizona Photo

WILLIAMS — Bearizona Wildlife Park is excited to announce the arrival of three un”bear”ably cute North American bear cubs, which were born in early January at the Williams, Arizona Wildlife Park. The bear cubs will be viewable in a special care area of the park until May, when they will then be big enough to go out into their own enclosure within the walk through portion of the park.

Black Bears commonly have two to four cubs per litter, and can nurse up to six cubs. Despite high birthrates, only four out of ten cubs will reach their first year of life. The sixty percent of cub mortality is a result of starvation and depredation by male bears are other large carnivores.

Arizona has a stable wild population of black bear in the wild, however the elusive animals are rarely seen. Visitors to Bearizona Wildlife Park are able to get a close encounter with captive black bears, while learning about their habits and history.

“The connections people make between our animal residents and the habitats in which they reside are key to understanding and conserving wildlife,” explains COO and Curator Vanessa Stoffel. “We have a unique opportunity to educate the public about what it means to live with and recreate among black bears, and these little ambassador cubs are where it all begins.”

Bearizona is a wildlife park in which guests experience a scenic three-mile drive in their own vehicle or coach witnessing North American animals in their natural environment.

Visitors can then leisurely stroll through the forest along winding walkways to get an up-close look at the antics of baby and smaller animals in Fort Bearizona. Guests are encouraged to catch their complimentary Birds of Prey free flight show where they will come face to face with hawks, owls and other raptors.

Bearizona’s mission is to promote conservation through memorable and educational encounters with North American wildlife in a natural environment.

Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest to Celebrate Black History Month with Special Guest Darryl Haley

Darryl Haley

Darryl Haley

GRAND CANYON — Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest will host former-professional football player, Ironman tri-athlete and host of the radio talk show Fitness Friday, Darryl Haley for a special evening program in honor of Black History Month on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30 p.m. at the Shrine of the Ages in Grand Canyon National Park. Mr. Haley will be joined by staff of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest promoting Black History Month and the Healthy Parks Healthy People initiative.

The Black History Month theme for 2015 is “Celebrating a Century of Black Life, History, Culture and Future Health of our People on our Public Lands”. Mr. Haley is a staunch advocate for parks and public lands as well as a renowned athlete and fitness trainer.

Mr. Haley, who also hosts WHUR’s (Howard University Radio) Fitness Friday during the Steve Harvey Morning Show, hopes to show that parks are places diverse audiences can enjoy, and that they offer a wide range of opportunities for people of varying fitness levels to experience and recreate on their public lands.

grand-canyon1He will be joined on stage by Margaret Hangan and Danelle D. Harrison, USFS. Ms. Hangan is the staff archeologist for the Kaibab National Forest and will be presenting on the history of African American people in northern Arizona. Ms. Harrison is the District Ranger for the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and will be presenting on the Forest Service role in providing healthy recreation opportunities for diverse communities.

During the week, graduate students from Howard University will be working with staff of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest, reviewing the agencies’ respective archives while researching the history of diverse individuals in the Grand Canyon region. These stories not only demonstrate the past contributions of diverse individuals to the northern Arizona landscape but also open doors of understanding, forging connections for people today and in the future to their public lands.

Black History Month is about celebrating and honoring the past and creating memories now to carry into the future. As a health and fitness enthusiast, Haley’s programs reach diverse audiences and help promote the making of black history, breaking down barriers in human and race relations. Providing equitable access to public lands and promoting the health and well being of all people are critical components of Healthy Parks Healthy People.

Local artist gets mentions in national magazines

640-LookbookWILLIAMS — Local bear artist Brenda Carter is getting attention by national industry magazines. In January of this year, she received recognition for Miss Penelope in teddy bear & friends magazine. This month she is mentioned with others in Bear Beautiful magazine.

Brenda grew up in England during WWII amid air raids and bombs dropping. Many a day was spent in the basement of their home during a raid and amazingly the damage to her home consisted mainly of windows blown in and ceilings falling down while other homes on the street were destroyed.

Over fifty-years ago, she immigrated to the USA. Meeting her husband many years later. He served with the Sheriff’s Office in California for 26 years. After his passing she moved to Williams and opened a gift shop called Autumn Buffalo for about 12 years.

When she retired, she started a hobby of making dollhouses and furniture. Later her friend Lorrie a well known sculptor of art dolls (LorelieBlu Studio) taught her how to sculpt fantasy dolls.

Brenda started a Facebook page called Teddy Bears and Fantasy Dolls and quickly gathered many followers. The past couple years she started to think about how much her little teddy bear from the war gave her comfort which she still has and decided to start creating Teddy Bears for others to collect and make their own memories. This is when she moved into making Teddy Bears and became a Banner member of Artist Bears International where she posts her work for sale.

Primal Pet Foods Voluntarily Recalls A Single Lot of Raw Frozen Cat Food

300-PrimalPrimal Pet Foods is voluntarily recalling a single batch production code of Feline Turkey Raw Frozen Formula 3-pound bag. FDA tested product in response to a single consumer complaint. Primal Pet Foods was alerted by FDA that the testing of two bags of this lot resulted in a low thiamine level. Neither FDA nor Primal have received any other reports concerning Thiamine in Primal products. No other product manufactured by Primal Pet Foods is involved in this voluntary recall.

Cats fed only diets low in thiamine for several weeks may be at risk for developing a thiamine deficiency. Thiamine is essential for cats. Symptoms of deficiency displayed by an affected cat can be gastrointestinal or neurological in nature. Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting, and weight loss. In advanced cases, neurologic signs can develop, which may include ventriflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, wobbly walking, circling, falling, and seizures. If your cat has consumed the recalled lot and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible.

Only the product with the following Best By date and production code is included in the voluntary recall. It is best to check the production code on the back of the bag to determine if the product has been recalled or not.

The lot involved in this voluntary recall is:

Primal Pet Foods Feline Turkey Raw Frozen Formula 3-pound bag (UPC# 8 50334-00414 0) with Best By date 060815 B22

Primal takes very seriously, the need for adequate Thiamine levels in our feline diets. We include Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder as a natural B-Complex supplement to ensure that adequate levels of Thiamine are met. Additionally, Thiamine occurs naturally in other ingredients contained in our Feline Turkey Formula such as: Turkey Muscle Meat (including heart), Turkey Liver, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Dried Organic Kelp, Organic Collard Greens and Organic Squash.

Consumers who still have bags of cat food from this lot should stop feeding it to their cats and call us at (866) 566-4652 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST. Consumers with further questions should visit our website at www.primalpetfoods.com or call us at this same number.