Helena, Mont. – A grizzly bear, captured after bluff-charging a man and killing a goat near Eureka, is headed to a Colorado zoo.
The 2-year-old, 300-pound bruin arrived at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks shelter in Helena last August and faced euthanization if center manger Patti Sowka couldn’t find a zoo with an opening for a grizzly.
“The decision was made to euthanize him or place him into captivity,” Sowka said. “It took me until December to find him a home. I was afraid we’d have to put him down.” Luckily, she was able to place the bear with the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, where a new Rocky Mountain wildlife exhibit is under construction.
The new enclosure, dubbed Rocky Mountain Wild, will connect zoo visitors with the wild heritage of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. State-of-the-art exhibit space is being built for moose, mountain lions, river otters, lynx, bald eagles, and grizzly bears.
The bear had a restless winter, Sowka said, sleeping off and on, but not fully hibernating. The bear is fully awake, although Sowka said he’s still a little sluggish.
On Wednesday, the bear released a resonant grunt when Sowka dropped grapes into the enclosure. The bear then showed his dexterity, plucking the grapes one by one from the vine.
“He’s such a showoff,” Sowka said. “He just loves the attention.” As if on cue, the bear rolled over on his back, bellowed, and scratched his big round belly, lip curled out in a bear-like grin.
Finding a zoo that can take a grizzly bear isn’t easy, Sowka said. The bears can live around 30 years, especially when they find a comfortable life with plenty to eat and no pressure to find a mate.
“Bears do surprisingly well in captivity,” Sowka said. “But they need more mental stimulation.” Caretakers at the Helena center hide peanuts throughout the bear’s enclosure and float apples in its water tank, providing the animal mental and physical stimulation.
A crate serves as a good puzzle and deer carcasses keep the bear’s teeth sharp, not to mention they make for a tasty, albeit rotten snack.
Employees of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will arrive in Helena in the next few weeks to take the bear to Colorado.
