In Loving Memory Of Takoda

With great sadness the Oregon Zoo said goodbye to black bear Takoda today, the youngest of the zoo’s black bear family, who died during a routine medical procedure.

Takoda, whose name meant “friend to all” in Sioux, arrived at the Oregon Zoo in November 2010. He had been orphaned as a cub in Montana, where he was found hungry and dehydrated, weighing less than 3 pounds. Rescued by wildlife officials, the young cub was nursed back to health but could not be released back to the wild, so a new home was found for him at the zoo’s Black Bear Ridge.

During his first eight years at the zoo, Takoda wowed visitors and staff each spring by climbing a 50-foot Douglas fir tree in his habitat to feast on the new growth near the top. His companions — Cubby, Tuff and Dale — would wait below to catch whatever dropped while Takoda was foraging.

Once he grew into an adult, he no longer climbed to those heights, Koons said, but you could still count on him to mark the changing seasons. On warmer days, he became known for playfully relaxing in a sturdy 300-gallon tub that caregivers kept filled with cool water.

Видео In Loving Memory Of Takoda канала Oregon Zoo