Genie the bear is waking up at Montreal’s Ecomuseum Zoo

Genie the black bear emerges from her den at the Écomusée du parc Sainte-Anne, but Environment Canada warns snow and cold will continue into spring.

She was supposed to wake up on Wednesday, but it seems Genie the black bear took one look outside and decided she needed one more day of hibernation.

After much contemplation, zookeepers at the Ecomuseum Zoo in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., say Genie’s finally ready to make her grand spring debut.

“Our team is once again observing clear signs that she wants to leave her den and end her hibernation,” the zoo said. “It took a little longer than expected, but this annual spring celebration — as eagerly anticipated as ever — definitively marks the return of warmer days.”

Genie was born on Feb. 1, 2011, under professional human care and joined the Ecomuseum Zoo in 2014.

She shared her enclosure with Juno, another black bear, until her passing.

Since then, the Ecomuseum says Genie has been busy exploring her solo space, which is typical for black bears who generally enjoy a more solitary lifestyle.

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“Recognizable by the beautiful white patch on her chest — a common trait among her species — Genie is a curious and food-loving bear,” the zoo notes. “She loves peanut butter — a perfect partner for the cooperative training sessions she participates in — as well as grapes and sunflower seeds, which participants in the Breakfast for the Bear project enthusiastically prepare for her."

Moreover, the Ecomuseum adds that Genie loves lounging at the top of the hill in her habitat, “a perfect vantage point for keeping an eye on everything happening around her.”

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For any enthusiastic zoophilists, here are Genie’s most recent hibernation dates: