Maymont's tiny black bear turns 20
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Little Bear just roaming around. Photo: Courtesy of Maymont
Maymont's Little Bear celebrated his 20th birthday over the weekend with some apples and honey.
Why it matters: Due to his chronic conditions, he likely wouldn't be alive today if he was left in the wild.
Catch up quick: The American black bear has been with Maymont since May 2006, after the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources rescued him from a highway near Roanoke.
- Little Bear is smaller than average due to his dwarfism and symptoms that mimic Addison's disease, Maymont spokesperson Melissa Abernathy tells us.
- Those symptoms can include chronic fatigue and joint pain, which Abernathy says Maymont helps manage with medication.
- That also means that his companion Big Bear, who is about his same age, is almost 100 pounds heavier than him (476 pounds vs. 384).
Fun fact: Abernathy tells Axios that Little Bear and Big Bear have a "big bro/little bro" relationship and that Little Bear's favorite napping spot is on the cliff.
What we're watching: The brother bears will soon have a new-and-improved habitat as part of Maymont's multimillion-dollar park improvement project, which is slated to wrap up in March.