More Than the Bear Necessities : Samson Moves Into Plush New Digs

After 17 months of waiting, thousands of dollars in fund-raising and an eight-hour trek from Sacramento to Orange, Samson, the bear who hot-tubbed his way into people’s hearts, has found a home.

Samson’s arrival Thursday at the Orange County Zoo came off without a glitch as he was chauffeured by Department of Fish and Game officials from his temporary quarters at a Northern California animal holding facility.

Although a little shaken by the trip and a bit worn out, the bear seemed in good spirits as his new caretakers at the zoo enticed him with canned mackerel and placed him in a holding stall. His new Orange County veterinarian, Richard Evans, said he will be closely monitoring Samson’s condition to ensure he is adjusting well to the change.

The 600-pound bear with rotting teeth and a fondness for avocados will be officially welcomed to his new home Tuesday at a ceremony with dignitaries, including Gov. Pete Wilson.

Perhaps no bear in America has been so sought after, photographed and chronicled.

Samson won celebrity status through the handiwork of Gary and Connie Potter, who videotaped the affable bear relaxing in their Monrovia hot tub and snatching avocados from neighborhood trees in 1994.

But Samson’s Club Med lifestyle appeared to be threatened when he swallowed pieces of a plastic trash bag and was immediately taken into the Fish and Game’s holding ward.

The bear was treated for his gut trouble. But, fearing his release would endanger people and domestic animals, the Fish and Game Department prepared to euthanize him.

To the rescue came dozens of neighbors and schoolchildren who could not bear the thought of the personable bear’s destruction. The movement garnered so much support that Wilson granted the bear clemency.

After the governor spared Samson’s life, Forrest de Spain, head of the Orange County Zoo, offered to build a new home for the bear. The community support was again evident when several schoolchildren organized fund-raisers to build the $125,000 habitat.

His fame has reached such heights that Fish and Game officials kept his departure from Northern California a tightly held secret.

“We felt that it was best for Samson that he just go down without anybody knowing,” said Pamela Swift, Samson’s veterinarian in Sacramento. “We would have more peace of mind if he went down incognito.”

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Despite state efforts, several spectators were on hand at the Orange County Zoo to see Samson, who had traveled inside a huge metal barrel on a truck to prevent him from tumbling along the ride.

Samson now will be living in a 3,000-square-foot pen--complete with an 800-gallon pool, waterfall and a scratching tree--at the zoo, which is in Irvine Regional Park, just east of Orange.

Ron Lane of Buena Park drove to the park for the occasion, camera in tow.

“I am a big animal lover and I am glad to see the bear get his home,” said Lane, adding with a deep laugh: “I wonder if they are going to heat the pool just like the private hot tub?”

For De Spain, seeing the bear at the zoo brings closure to more than a year of working and waiting.

“Seventeen months of work and finally the old man is here,” said De Spain, who hopes to install a thick-beak parrot and hawk exhibit to compliment Samson’s home in the near future.

But the immediate task is to find a mate for the 15-year-old Samson, who will be living alone in his new habitat munching on apples, onions, sardines and dog kibble. Making a good match between bears, De Spain said, is just as difficult as a good match between people.

“You can put two animals in one place and they might not get along,” said De Spain. “Sometimes they get in there and they butt heads.”