From homeless camp to the Alaska Zoo, orphaned bear cub finds new home

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – An orphaned black bear cub that had been frequenting a homeless camp in Mountain View for months was captured by Alaska Fish and Game officials Friday and taken to the Alaska Zoo.

Residents of the camp said earlier this summer that the bear was a frequent visitor there and was regularly petted and fed.

Fish and Game was able to scoop up the 60-pound male bear and put it in a kennel, according to Sam Lavin, Curator at the zoo.

Lavin said humans did everything wrong when it comes to interacting with wildlife, but the cub was lucky because there was a placement available for it at an out-of-state zoo.

“The other option was that it was going to be euthanized because it was getting used to people,” Lavin said. “And if it starts approaching people, that’s a bad deal.”

For now, the cub is resting in the zoo infirmary where it is being treated for some minor health problems.

“We kind of gave it a quiet corner to sort of settle in and acclimate,” she said. “Pretty soon we’ll give it a yard and it will start getting used to visitors on the trail, and once it’s healthy and old enough, we will send it off to its new home.”

The Alaska Zoo doesn’t disclose which facilities animals are being sent to; they leave that for the receiving zoo to announce, but Lavin said she’s certain the cub will enjoy its new home.

“Alaska black bears, no matter where they go, they get spoiled,” she said.

The cub should be out of the infirmary in a day or two, according to Lavin, and then on public display. It’s likely to be at the Alaska Zoo for another month.

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