It Takes 2 Bears to Sub for Samson

After a 6 1/2-hour drive from Northern California, Bob Teagle backed the truck carrying two black bears into a doorway at the rear of the Orange County Zoo.

For the next 45 minutes, Teagle--a wildlife specialist with the state Fish and Game Department--directed zoo workers, volunteers and others who had assembled in the predawn hours Tuesday to set plywood barriers here, lock gates there, all in preparation for a smooth transfer of the 350-pound male bear.

After loading a tranquilizer gun as a precaution, Teagle looked at the crowd one final time and whispered, “Everybody stay calm.”

With that, he released a heavy steel gate and the county’s newest zoo addition stepped out and sauntered into a nearby cage.

“He walked right into it like he thought it was his own,” Teagle said. “He didn’t deviate, just walked right in.”

The male and a smaller, 120-pound female black bear are replacements for Samson, the famous hot-tubbing bear, who was euthanized May 14 after suffering kidney failure.

The public will get its first opportunity to welcome both bears during a brief ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday at the zoo, located in Irvine Regional Park in Orange.

In addition, a contest to name the bears will be held for children 12 and younger. Entry forms, which must be received by July 20, are available at the zoo.

Although Samson, whose penchant for avocados and hot tubs brought him fans worldwide, is a tough act to follow, the new male bear gave zoo workers quite a show when he inspected his new home and abruptly stood up, towering over zoo director Forrest de Spain as de Spain spoke to reporters in a corridor.

“These are magnificent animals. We’re very pleased,” said Dr. Robert Everakes, head of Orange County’s Zoological Society.

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who recently urged that an additional $100,000 be spent for a seal exhibit at the zoo, was among those welcoming the bears.

Spitzer, whose district includes the zoo, said he has become a zoo supporter after regularly visiting with son Justin, 2 1/2, who was very fond of Samson.

The 3-year-old male bear was brought to Fish and Game’s Rancho Cordova facility just east of Sacramento in 1999. The then 30-pound motherless cub was found near Lake Tahoe, Teagle said. The bear has spent the bulk of its life in captivity, making him an unlikely candidate for release into the wild.

Part of the zoo’s mission is to accept only animals that cannot be released into the wild, zoo officials said.

According to Teagle, the male likes to play, stands up a lot and knows a few voice commands. “He was such a good bear and we always wanted to find a home for him,” he said.

The female is about a year old and was found near Independence last November. She was extremely undernourished, weighing only 12 pounds.

The bears were transported by truck and trailer and arrived after midnight Monday to avoid having them swelter during the drive through the Central Valley, where temperatures can soar past 100.

The bears are acquainted with each other, having been kept in adjacent cages at the Fish and Game facility. Plans are to let them roam together in Samson’s den, but under close monitoring until one of the bears establishes dominance.

Zoo veterinarian Richard Evans said that both bears are healthy and that the male was recently neutered to avoid breeding.

For more information about the name-the-bears contest, contact the zoo at (714) 633-2022.