Cheryl A, Ferber, age 10, of San Diego, California, for her question:

Do zoo bears hibernate?

The bears are rather clownish characters, perhaps because they are big enough to do as they please. The bunnies and other small animals must obey the stern voice of nature or get caught. The wild bears have few enemies to bother them, which may be why the bear family tends to ignore the rules. For example, most wild bears go to sleep through the winter. But they do not fall into the deep sleep of true hibernation. And once in a while, they wake up and go for a stroll in mid winter.

Wild bears feed on tender greenery, fruits and berries, fishes and small animals. Most likely they sleep through the winter because then there is a shortage of their favorite foods. But zoo bears can count on a year round supply of basic foods and tasty tidbits. Besides, they have comfortable quarters where the weather does not make life miserable. 50, as a rule, the bears that live in zoos do not waste their time sleeping through the winter.