The first inhabitant of the Arosa Bear Sanctuary feels the spring. 

Napa noticed some time ago that it was getting warmer and that the snow was melting. He was more and more active during the day and occasionally stayed outside the box. According to the criteria of the competition jury, Napa has now definitely awoken from hibernation. 

After Napa increasingly left the cave and also rested more outside of the cave, the animal keepers slowly and reservedly started to distribute food. Napa became increasingly interested in the food, which he digested for the first time on 4 April. Due to the amount of faeces and its composition, the competition jury declared the hibernation to be cancelled. At the same time, the hibernation competition, which has been running online since the end of November 2018, will be cancelled. The winning family will be contacted personally and will win an overnight stay at Blatter's Arosa Hotel and a special guided tour at the Arosa Bear Sanctuary this summer. 

The jury has decided 
The following four people have decided exactly when Napa woke from his hibernation: Dr. David Bittner, biologist and wild bear specialist, Carsten Hertwig, head of the Bear Department at the animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, Daria Jörg, animal keeper in Arosa Bear Country and Dr. Hans Schmid. The latter is head of animal care at Zurich Zoo and scientific director at Arosa Bärenland and comments on Napa's awakening: "As expected, the process of waking up was leisurely and could be observed well. It was noticeable that Napa marked his striped area daily on the tree trunks in the additional enclosure after the arrival of Amelia and Meimo. This was apparently very important to him, despite his hibernation." 

Current situation in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary
The outdoor enclosure for the three bears Napa, Meimo and Amelia is still closed, as the snow height does not allow an opening. As soon as the snow cover has melted sufficiently, the bears can enjoy the Arosa mountain world again on the meadows, between the bushes and in the forest. We are curious to see if Napa and the two new bears will dare to go outside, even if there is still some snow left. Of course, the indoor enclosure is also equipped according to the species and offers the bears a variety of possibilities to engage themselves outside of the hibernation period. Thus, daily activity elements are placed in the inner enclosure as an enrichment of their behaviour. 

Outlook spring and summer 2019 
The Arosa Bear Sanctuary is open in spring at Ascension Day (Thursday to Sunday) and at Whitsun (Saturday to Monday) from 9:00 - 17:40 hrs. From the beginning of the summer season on 15 June to 20 October 2019, the Arosa Bärenland is open daily from 9:00-17:40. The whole Arosa Bear Sanctuary team is looking forward to many visitors and is looking forward to the coming summer in Arosa.