Genie the black bear emerges, welcomes the start of spring in Montreal
A black bear in Montreal has decided that it's spring, even if a winter storm is on the way for the weekend.
Genie the bear emerged from her hibernation home at the Montreal Ecomuseum on Friday and spent some time rolling in the snow and enjoying the sunny weather.
"For us, at the ecomuseum, it is absolutely the start of spring that Genie, our black bear, is waking up from hibernation," said ecomuseum biologist Elizabeth Landry.
Landry said that staff monitors the bear throughout the year but that it's the animal who decides when to pack it in for the winter and wake up for the spring.
"She has a certain process," said Landry. "They're getting ready for winter in the fall, and all through the summertime; they are eating in order to make their reserves, to hibernate, and to be able to come through it. It's really up to her. There are some very clear signs for us to know that she's ready to go to sleep, and when she decides that she's done with it, that's it."
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