blospz - My reference to Stanley and using a conveyor belt or forklift to bring him on exhibit was an inside joke. Stanley's usual day is going outside on exhibit and falling asleep near the door to the back area. He wakes up when it it time to go back inside. He does not even wake up usually for enrichment. The keepers leave enrichment for him in his back area. I thought the use of a conveyor belt or a forklift would allow him to just continue to sleep and not have to wake up enough to go indoors to outdoors or vice versa. Sorry for any confusion.
jusko88 - I found the plans for Akron's Grizzly Ridge exhibit online earlier this year when they were looking for bids. They are no longer online, but I saved some of them as jpegs for reference as the exhibit is build this summer. The bear building will have two exhibit areas, six indoor dens, three night yards, a training/night yard area, and a diet prep area. There would be room for Stanley and Susan, but that would make six bears in that facility making it a little crowded. I think two three-year old black bears and two two-year old grizzlies might be a big enough challenge for when the exhibit opens in 2013. They could send them at least temporarily to Erie to live after Laurel and Libby move to Akron. By then, Erie would be used to having black bears as guests. Laurel and Libby are slated to leave Erie in late fall when the bear building is hopefully done.