Arthur

was a wild black bear who had been living in a culvert on the Sierra Star golf course in Mammoth, California, and had been captured by the California Department of Fish & Game after reports that he had been seen hobbling on three legs. He arrived at PAWS on March 5, 2002, after treatment by Fish & Game and UC Davis veterinarians. He is enjoying his grassy area complete with a hot tub, pine trees and honeysuckle vines. He loves food and can be easily coaxed with grapes, apples and oranges (his favorite food so far). Arthur is another sad victim of human encroachment

Boo Boo

Boo Boo, a black bear, was born at a breeding compound. He was taken from his mother when he was two weeks old and sold as a pet. His new owners put a chain around his neck, locked it, and then lost the key. As Boo Boo matured, the chain grew into his neck. A concerned woman purchased him from the family, brought him to PAWS, and paid for a veterinarian to remove the chain from his neck.

When Winston, another young black bear arrived at our Galt sanctuary, he was introduced to Boo Boo. The two youngsters hit it off and became best friends.

In December of 2010, Boo Boo and Winston were moved to their new spacious habitat at ARK 2000.

Watch a video of Boo Boo's rescue. Click here.

Boo Boo and Winston move to ARK 2000. View video here.

Watch Boo Boo and Winston in their ARK 2000 habitat. Click here.

Cinnamon

arrived along with three other bears, Sampson, Oma and Scarface, from the Houston SPCA where she had been temporarily housed after authorities confiscated them from a series of horrendous conditions. Prior to their rescue, all four of the bears were featured as part of a tiny drive-through roadside exhibit. The owner of the dilapidated facility was cited for numerous violations and the animals were impounded.

Cinnamon arrived at PAWS in July of 2003 along with her three friends.

Cinnamon and Sampson moved to their new Bob Barker-built habitat at ARK 2000 in June of 2011. View story and photos here.

Jack

In 2007, in the midst of filming television series about our sanctuary for Animal Planet, we received a call from a regulatory agency asking us to take a bear who would soon be euthanized if a suitable home could not be found within a few weeks. Unfortunately, there was no place to put another bear and no funds available to build anything for him in the short time allocated to his rescue. However, we agreed to try to find a way to take him.

PAWS veterinarian went to see Jack and made an exceptional appeal on his behalf, advising PAWS directors, Pat Derby and Ed Stewart, to rescue him, if possible.

After much planning and consulting, Pat and Ed decided to move Sosha, one of our sweetest cougars, to a large wolf run which was uninhabited and remodel Sosha’s habitat for Jack. Since Sosha is quite gregarious and enjoys company, the move would give Sosha more exposure to human companions and provide a secluded shelter for Jack.

The television crew filmed Sosha’s very successful move to new quarters and the renovation of his habitat to accommodate the new bear. A highlight of the filming was the construction of a swimming pool for Jack which was engineered by interns from the television show.

In October, 2011, Jack moved to his new habitat at ARK 2000. Read the story and watch a video of his first day in his new habitat, here.

Oma

Oma arrived at our Galt sanctuary in July of 2003, with three other   black bears, Sampson, Cinnamon and Scarface, from the Houston SPCA where she had been temporarily housed after authorities confiscated them from horrendous conditions. Prior to their rescue, all four of the bears were featured as part of a tiny drive-through roadside exhibit. The owner of the dilapidated facility was cited for numerous violations and the animals were impounded.

In early September, 2011, Oma was moved from our Galt sanctuary to her new home in the Bob Barker Bear Habitat at ARK 2000. Boo Boo and Winston are now her next door neighbors on one side, with old friends Sampson and Cinnamon on the other.

After her arrival at ARK 2000, Oma, the smallest and sweetest of the two female bears from Galt, happily explored her spacious, tree-lined habitat and pool.

Bears are the only animal species that walk plantigrade, with the heel of the foot touching the ground, like humans. They walk with a shuffling gait, and often exaggerate the gait while urinating to mark territory.

Oma spent her first few days after the move walking the perimeter of her enclosure, alternating between shuffling and urinating and exploring and foraging. Several dips into her large pool have become part of her daily routine which was much more sedentary in Galt. She is obviously loving her new home!

View photos of Oma here.

To view a video of Oma in her new habitat, click here.

Sampson

arrived along with three other bears, Cinnamon, Oma and Scarface, from the Houston SPCA where she had been temporarily housed after authorities confiscated them from a series of horrendous conditions. Prior to their rescue, all four of the bears were featured as part of a tiny drive-through roadside exhibit. The owner of the dilapidated facility was cited for numerous violations and the animals were impounded.

Sampson arrived at PAWS in July of 2003 along with his three friends.

Sampson and Cinnamon moved to their new Bob Barker built habitat at ARK 2000 in June of 2011. View story and photos here.

In Memory of Manfried

Along with a Grizzly Bear named Tuffy, Manfried was one of the animal stars of "Legends of the Fall... Iron Will" as well as performing in many commercials and wrestling exhibits. They lived in a small horse trailer, wallowing in their own feces. They were malnourished and suffered from diarrhea and dehydration. PAWS investigated their plight and took a film crew from National Geographic to document their story. Manfried's PAWS home is a 14,000 square foot enclosure with trees and a pool.

Winston

Winston, a black bear, was born at a breeding compound and bred to be someone's pet. He was kept illegally, and later confiscated by officials. After confiscation, Winston, still a very young bear, was kept with other older more aggressive bears and suffered a severe bite wound to his right hip. He was treated for the injury and eventually placed at our Galt, California, sanctuary where he became companion and best friend to Boo Boo, another young bear living at our sanctuary at that time.

In December of 2010, Winston and Boo Boo were moved to their new spacious habitat at ARK 2000.

Winston and Boo Boo move to ARK 2000. View video here.

Watch Boo Boo and Winston in their ARK 2000 habitat. Click here.

Watch a video of Winston's arrival in 1995. Click here.