Winter is coming and so is Maggie’s appetite

Wildlife West Nature Park is seeking donations to help feed Maggie, a 2-year-old black bear whose appetite is growing as winter approaches.

The bear was captured two years ago near Santa Fe after employees from the New Mexico Game and Fish Department found her roaming a ranch, unafraid of people and dogs. Officials determined she had lost her mother and was struggling to survive in the wild due to malnourishment.

Game and Fish officers captured Maggie using donuts as bait before relocating her to Wildlife West, where she has since recovered in a large habitat filled with juniper trees.

“She is very inquisitive and likes to get close to see who has come to visit her,” according to the park. Maggie, whose full name is Magdalena, often approaches a large plexiglass window to observe visitors.

The park recently lost its source for donated produce, causing feeding costs to increase significantly. Maggie currently eats apples, pecan nuts, fruits, vegetables and other foods. As she reaches full size, she could consume up to 20,000 calories daily, especially during the winter months.

Wildlife West is accepting apple and pecan donations at its facility at 87 North Frontage Road in Edgewood, just off Interstate 40. The nonprofit organization also accepts financial contributions by mail at P.O. Box 1359, Edgewood, NM 87015, or online at www.wildlifewest.org.

The park houses 24 species of native wildlife, including three gray foxes, sister cougars named Zia and True, and Bob the bobcat.

Wildlife West is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Nov. 2, when hours change to noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 505-281-7655.

Kevin Hendricks, nm.news

Kevin Hendricks is a local news editor with nm.news. He is a two-decade veteran of local news as a sportswriter and assistant editor with the ABQ Journal and Rio Rancho Observer.