For a bear raised in captivity, twentieth birthday is a big event. It bears no surprise, then, that animal carer Velga Vītola, who has fostered Ilzīte since birth, feels like a mother on her child's birthday.
"This morning, I caught myself thinking that I am so used to making a birthday cake for a bear! Got used to it over twenty years," said Vītola.
As always, Ilzīte was treated to a special cake. This year, it was made of surimi sticks, salmon, nuts, honey -- a combination one could bear-ly fathom. Ilzīte, though, seemed to savor every bite, according to LTV's broadcast.
