GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — A brown bear that's called Grand Rapids home since 1994 has died, the John Ball Zoo said Thursday morning.
Yogi the male brown bear far exceeded his life expectancy, the zoo said, and over time he developed arthritis. Despite medications to help his pain, he began to experience severe mobility issues.
The zoo had to immobilize him to examine his arthritis, and the ability to regain control of Yogi's discomfort was no longer a realistic solution, the zoo said.
Born in the wild in 1992, Yogi lived in Yellowstone National Park and was brought to Grand Rapids in 1994 after repeated human area conflict. The zoo said Yogi would have been euthanized if no suitable placement was found.
Yogi's keepers said he was a gentle giant who was a joy to work with.
"Yogi's favorite day of the week was bone day. He would pass up his dinner and any sweet snack we had for him, and he would be busy chewing until all the meat was gone," keeper Jackie said.
In honor of Yogi, the zoo is hosting a teddy bear drive to donate new stuffed animals to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. You can donate here.
From Friday, Oct. 5 through Oct. 19, you can drop off new teddy bears with the tags still on them at John Ball Zoo Guest Services offices from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
All of the donations will be sent to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
