I was very lucky to find a home here at the WNC Nature Center when I was a year old. The humans here are very funny and play games with me. Sometimes I trick them just to show them who's the boss. I know a lot about the other animals so go ahead and ask me a question!

Nothing – do not panic. Bears are not aggressive by nature and most are fearful of man, but if a bear has been accustomed to being around humans, they may appear to be more aggressive.  Shout, make loud noises, face the bear, do not run from it, and walk slowly away from the bear.  Running could trigger the bear to run after you, much like our pet dogs do when playing with us.

Take your feeders down for two weeks and the bear will find another source of food. Don’t forget to leave your trash cans indoors until the morning of your scheduled garbage pickup and don’t leave cat or dog food on the porch overnight.

Yes.  Black widow spiders are commonly found in western North Carolina.  They are common to wood piles and stone walls.  In the winter, these spiders may relocate themselves to your garage and find shelter in garden gloves, lawn mowers, door handles, boxes; anywhere dark and safe.

No – most birds need to “fledge” from their nest before they are capable of flight. They end up on the ground, but their parents will continue to care for them and teach them the fine methods of “being a bird”.  Leave baby birds on the ground, but if you have to move it to a safer location, move it as few feet away from where you found it as possible.

You can submit questions to Ollie by filling out the form on this page. Remember, Ollie only answers questions about animals. If you have other questions, send them to Professor Hoot.