SEDGWICK COUNTY — The Sedgwick County Zoo announced Thursday that Mitch, a 20-year-old North American Black Bear, has passed away, according to a memorial on the zoo web site.
Mitch was being treated for age-related arthritis and was recently diagnosed with heart disease. During a diagnostic procedure, it was decided that further medical treatment wouldn’t be able to improve his condition, and the extremely difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize him.
Mitch came to the Sedgwick County Zoo in October of 2003 as a young cub. He was named after the police officer who confiscated him from a home in Springfield, Illinois. He was first delivered to the Henson Robinson Zoo where they checked him medically, raised him until he was weaning age, and then began to search for his long-term home. At the same time, Sedgwick County Zoo was looking to find a male for our habitat here at the Zoo.
Mitch was a character from the start. Since he had only been around humans, he had to learn how to to adjust to “the life of a bear.”
While learning how to be a bear, the team remembers that on one specific day his back feet got wet and he began to drag himself around on his belly, not using his legs. We thought something was wrong with him, and just before we called the veterinary team, he began walking normally again. When it happened again the next day, we realized that he just didn’t like getting his feet wet. Every time he got his feet wet, he would drag himself around in protest. Thankfully it didn’t take long for him to get used to water and begin to enjoy playing in it.
Once he was comfortable with his space at SCZ, the time came for Mitch to meet Ursa, our female bear. We gave them a safe space for him to see, hear and smell each other with high hopes that Ursa would see this new cub and want to teach him everything a bear needs to know. Unfortunately, Ursa decided she was in no mood to befriend a young male, so we needed to wait until Mitch was a little older before putting them together.
Once Mitch was larger and better able to match Ursa we began introductions. One of the zookeepers remembers beginning introductions with Ursa and Mitch not going according to plan. Mitch immediately decided that he was not a fan of this other bear being in his habitat and quickly returned to the bedroom area where all of his humans were anxiously watching.
Keepers worked hard to get the two bears comfortable around one another. Mitch, growing up with humans, was used to being around humans, but not around bears. His team helped to build his confidence around Ursa and eventually the two were comfortable together on the habitat.
Ursa and Mitch were never overly close, but they kept each other company until Ursa passed a few years ago. When Ursa passed, we decided to keep Mitch without a companion as black bears often live solitary lives by nature, and he seemed content with his human caregivers and adoring guests.
Mitch was a sweet, goofy, silly boy who in his sprier days could do a juggling performance with a large branch that was dubbed his “bear-kwondo routine.” He would always have a favorite branch for this and would randomly decide to sit up and do a performance, much to the delight of any onlookers.
He was constantly making people smile and laugh with his silly antics and behaviors. He loved people, and everyone that met him instantly fell in love with him.
In the past few years, he began showing signs of arthritis and was being treated with medication to keep him comfortable. We discovered that he would readily take his medication from a spoon if we inserted the pills into a prune and then covered it in yogurt. He always liked to follow up this treat with his favorite bear chow.
Mitch also loved relaxing. Our favorite sight of him was sprawled out on his back in a hammock. He would even allow food to be tossed directly onto the hammock with him, and would casually grab a carrot, drag it up and over his belly, and then hold it in both paws to eat. In the heat, he would also hang out in his water tank and let the hose run right on him.
During breeding season, he had a “breeding stomp” he would perform to show Zoo guests what a handsome and strong bear he was. He would stomp his front feet on the ground with each step.
Mitch was also very trainable; he would voluntarily cooperate for medical treatments as long as he knew he would get a treat while the work was being done. Mitch had been participating in training as complex as standing for a blood draw. He had great trust in his primary zookeeper and worked with her to accomplish many tasks, including fun ones, like painting.
Unfortunately, with age comes health issues, and Mitch was diagnosed with arthritis and heart disease. He was kept comfortable with big soft beds and appropriate medications, but his care team recently saw a significant decline in his health.
Making the decision to say goodbye was hard. The Prairie will not be the same without him. It’s hard to imagine not seeing his hopeful face every day, waiting for his yogurt-dipped prune. He was loved by many.
We were lucky to be able to be a part of his life for more than 20 years. Happy trails, Mitch! We hope you are eating all the snacks you love and lying in a big hammock after a day full of stomping and “bear-kwando.”
Mitch may no longer be with us, but his legacy will live on through those whose hearts he touched.