Gilbert, a grizzly cub from Montana, was orphaned after a tragic hunting accident took his mother. Facing euthanasia, he was rescued by Wildlife Images, a rehabilitation center in Oregon, who scrambled to prepare a temporary holding pen. Their dream was to give Gilbert a stimulating forever home with a pond, waterfall, and cave, but after digging the pond and laying rebar, an injury and harsh winter weather stalled the project. For three months, Gilbert waited in his cramped pen, and the unfinished enclosure sat as a muddy, unusable hole.

When I was called to “spruce up” Gilbert’s cave, I saw the bigger picture: a half-finished pond and waterfall that needed to be completed fast. The budget was tight and Gilbert didn’t like the noisy machinery near his pen. But I couldn’t walk away. I told Wildlife Images, “Let me take on the whole thing.” It was a challenge, but for Gilbert, it was worth it.