The black bears at Folsom Zoo Sanctuary seem pretty mellow — although I wouldn’t want to find myself inside their enclosure. On the other hand, this cat has made herself at home in the bear enclosure, and the bears don’t seem to mind her presence at all.

I was visiting during the noontime feeding so I got to watch the bears nibbling at lettuce and tomatoes, among other goodies. They mostly seemed to ignore me and my camera, but each of them tended to casually turn their backs in my direction as they chowed down. Maybe they just wanted a bit of privacy while eating!

I shot quite a few pictures of the bears; but the best thing I did while there was putting the camera aside and simply gazing at the enormous animal standing only inches away from me, on the other side of a clear barrier. It was truly awe inspiring to appreciate the bear’s presence.

Hello, bear!

Big foot

Salad for lunch

Grazing for goodies