By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer, George Schroeder | LTVN Executive Producer
The Baylor Chamber of Commerce has been hard at work preparing to welcome the new bear cubs, Judge Indy and Judge Belle, to campus for their highly anticipated mid-August move-in.
Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, associate director of Student Activities and director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, said the cubs have visited campus on several occasions and thrived in their new environment. The cubs made their first public appearance on campus on Thursday.
“They should be kind of settled and finding their rhythm by the first week of classes,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “Very similar to our incoming freshmen and transfer students, they’re going to figure out their way the first week like
everyone else.”
New students, along with other members of the Baylor community, visited the cubs on their first day on campus. Haslet freshman Lauren Newton told Lariat TV News that as a newcomer, she related to the cubs and the excitement surrounding their arrival.
“It makes me so excited,” Newton said. “They’re starting when we’re starting, so it’s like we’re going to go through this journey together.”
Farquhar-Caddell said that so far, the cubs seem to enjoy the change of environment at their on-campus habitat and that their first interactions with people have been quite positive.
“Since they naturally like [human interaction] and thrive off that, it’ll be a natural pattern to their day and to their week,” Farquhar-Caddell said.
Indy, whose namesake is Baylor’s original campus in Independence, and Belle, whose name represents the carillon bells in the gold-capped tower of Pat Neff Hall, are differentiated by their personalities. Farquhar-Caddell described Indy as the more easygoing of the two, larger in stature and fluffier than her cousin Belle. In contrast, Belle is the smallest of the litter and exhibits a feisty, playful personality.
With the arrival of the cubs and the retirement of 21-year-old Lady following the death of her sister Joy in July 2022, the bear program is undergoing many changes. Atlanta junior and Chamber of Commerce member Abbie Wickham said she is excited about the arrival of Indy and Belle.
“It’s kind of a new generation coming to the bear program,” Wickham said.
The transition between caring for an adult black bear and caring for two cubs involves adjustments, including the construction of the bear habitat. Farquhar-Caddell said additional cub-proofing measures have been necessary for the safety of the cubs and their visitors.
“Since there have never been cubs under a year living in the on-campus habitat, we’ve had to adjust the fencing structures and some of the enclosure areas to ensure that they’re cub-proof, which basically means that there aren’t any weak spots in fences, that there aren’t ways that they can wiggle out or explore in ways that aren’t safe for them,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “It includes some welding and some light construction projects to just ensure the cubs’ utmost safety.”
Chamber of Commerce members also underwent additional training regarding care for the cubs. According to the bear habitat’s website, student caretakers receive mentorship and training from animal care experts each year.
“Any students that work with the cubs, or Lady, or bears in general go through extensive training,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “[It] includes membership in the bear habitat community and the Chamber. It involves intricate weeklong trainings and quizzes, everything from kind of observing to practicing on their own.”
Auburn, Mass., junior and Chamber of Commerce member Connor Halloran welcomed these new challenges with open arms.
“As a club in general, there’s a lot of new committee members who are excited to take care of bears, who are ready to take on the challenge of cubs, and we’re looking for more Chamber recruitment,” Halloran said.
Despite his anticipation for the official move-in of the cubs, Halloran, along with fellow Chamber members, said he remains dedicated to caring for Lady during her retirement in a newly constructed habitat off campus, which includes a wading pool built just for her.
“We’re still taking care of Lady even though she’s retired, and I’m just excited to see how she embraces retirement,” Halloran said.
According to Farquhar-Caddell, members of the Baylor community can still find regular updates on Lady through social media, including photos of her enjoying retirement.
There will be a Meet the Cubs event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat. Both Indy and Belle will be awaiting visitors amid activities, including giveaways and photo opportunities.
