Mr. Fatty

This bear definitely caught my eye one day.  It was ginormous.  Not ginormous in a typical big, muscular, imposing way, like when you see an impressive adult bear and go, "Woah, that's a big one.  Stay in the car."  Girnormous in a very obese fashion, like a lot of Americans!!!  Somebody said that it looked like a cross between a bear and a feral pig!!!  When I showed my wife the first video, she said, "It might be pregnant!"  I hadn't thought of that possibility.  So I went with it.  Later, on an Asheville Facebook page, Living With Bears, a local bear enthusiast said he thought the bear was more likely male, just based on how the face looked.  Another said a male with a hearty appetite, fattening up for the winter.  But then it got a bit more confusing.  On another website, this same bear popped up under the name Nadine!  I would love to know the answer.  Male or Female?  

At some point, I gave a playful name to the bear: Mr. Fatty.  Mr. Fatty was pretty much in one little area for a whole month.  Anytime I was walking, or driving through, he was there, and always in a prime spot in his favorite yards..  He would lay around - literally, down on his belly - and just feed in one spot, and then close his eyes.  Mr. Fatty was never aggressive, and might be the one bear you could easily outrun.  He looks so gentle and complacent, you almost feel like if there's one wild bear that would welcome a hug or let you sit on its back, Mr. Fatty is it.  But don't be foolish!  Something no one should try.  

These are some videos in chronological order.  Mr. Fatty was definitely not the most entertaining of the bears we saw this Fall.  The mom and cubs stole the show! In fact, in one of these videos, Bear Road, we video the mom and cubs in one yard, and right across the road, in the opposite yard, was Mr. Fatty. going about his slow, methodical business.  One other distinction that Mr. Fatty has is that one day he became the first bear ever that I saw, in which I said, " Just keep on driving.  No photos of Mr. Fatty today."  We laughed at that.  And that speaks volumes, because bears get my attention!!  Mr. Fatty was that familiar to us, and was just kind of there, with no bells and whistles. 

But if there's one bear we are looking forward to hearing about in the Spring, and one that's definitely going to survive a harsh winter, unless he has a heart attack, it's Mr. Fatty.  I wonder with the winter weight loss (or birthing of babies!), if we will even recognize him.

  

First sighting, October 3rd.