Bear Hollow Zoo mourns loss of 22-year-old black bear
Athens-Clarke County’s Bear Hollow Zoo “humanely euthanized” a longtime resident American black bear named DJ on Friday, the zoo announced.
DJ, estimated to be 22, first moved to Bear Hollow in 2005.
He was diagnosed with spinal osteoarthritis in 2022, and later tests revealed severe intervertebral disc disease at his lower spine. He was also diagnosed with a heart condition in 2024, and both are “non-operable and incurable in bears,” the zoo said.
More recently, DJ had seen “a significantly decreased quality of life and euthanasia was deemed the most compassionate course of action.”
Zoo Coordinator Kelly Garrison said in a statement, “DJ was loved by all at Bear Hollow, he was a true gentle giant weighing around 500 pounds.”
The free zoo, located within Athens’ Memorial Park, hosts about 50 different animals species native to Georgia that have been deemed “non-releasable” because of injuries or familiarization with humans.
DJ outlived most of his counterparts in the wild, the zoo said.
Its remaining American black bears, Athena and Yonah, are 15.
About the Author
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
