A very sad note: Our good friend, Arthur, who found Oreo - died last September. Unfortunately he was killed by a grizzly bear. He was leaving the prospecting camp where he was working and he had a flat tire. He tried to walk back to camp 13 kms away as he could not free the spare tire. He was killed by a sow who had two cubs. We all miss Arthur very much.

Oreo survived the winter. He had a very quiet time. He/she would hibernate for about 14 to 23 days at a time. When awakening he would eat lettuce, spirulina powder, and his favorite - oatmeal porridge. He would only stay active for a day or two - never more!

Starting about the middle of March Oreo started to wake up after about 5 to 10 days of hibernation. He then feeds and drinks for about 5 to 8 days at a time.

Question?? How did he recognize the change of seasons when his home, food supply and temperature remained constant?

Oreo has grown a bit more shell. If you look closely at his shell you will see the new growth where the dark brown stripe is lighter in colour.