The Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo made the difficult decision Friday to humanely euthanize Bonnie, the North American Black Bear. Bonnie had called Great Bend her home since April of 2004, when she came to the zoo at just 11 weeks old with 7-week-old Clyde. The two of them lived happily as companions until 2013 when Clyde died after a long illness, Zoo Supervisor and Curator Sara Hamlin stated in a news release.
“Over the past two years she had three different bouts of unexplained pain. With careful veterinary care, we were able to make her comfortable and help her through the first two. When this third time suddenly struck Friday morning the vet immediately treated her but nothing would work to alleviate her pain,” Hamlin stated.
The official cause of death won’t be determined until lab results are back, but it has been determined that the pain was coming from severe abnormalities in her stomach and small intestine.
“We are absolutely devastated at the sudden loss of our sassy Bonnie Bear,” Hamlin stated. “She loved to antagonize her keepers and do whatever she could to disagree with us but it just made us love her even more. She truly was a unique individual and she will be greatly missed.”