It’s a story that is both heartwarming and bittersweet - two female grizzly bear siblings, born in Montana, whose misfortunes turned into a second chance at life. They’re known as Kachina, (sacred dancer) and Kiona (brown hills), or “blonde†and “chocolate†for those who welcomed them to the San Francisco Zoo in the fall of 2004.
Orphaned as cubs after their mother had been humanely euthanized, the pair survived thanks to the convenience of a rancher’s grain storage. But bears and humans don’t exactly mix well, and the cubs were facing a similar fate as their mother for getting too close to developed areas. In late September, the Zoo received a call that two wild juvenile grizzly bears from Montana needed a home. The call came not a moment too soon: Montana authorities had decided to euthanize the pair after numerous unsuccessful attempts to relocate them away from their destructive forays into human territory.
Working in tandem with Montana wildlife officials, Zoo staff agreed to take the bears and began creating a temporary home for Kachina and Kiona. Fanfare surrounded their arrival at the Zoo on October 10, 2004, with news media and staff on hand to catch a tiny glimpse of an eye and a nose through a portal in a transport crate. The bears were immediately placed in the Zoo hospital’s new, state-of-the-art quarantine facility, which allowed veterinarians to make sure that animals join the Zoo with a clean bill of health.
While in quarantine, the bears had their own group of San Francisco Zoo keepers who waited on them hand and foot. When it was time to be released from quarantine, both bears had gained a substantial amount of weight, and Zoo staff had become acquainted with their diverse personalities.
During quarantine, Zoo animal and maintenance staff readied the grizzlies’ soon-to-be new home at the bear grottos. This temporary home featured access into a grotto that is planted and landscaped, and an older exhibit that includes a pool. The move to the bear grottos went smoothly. When the sisters awoke from their medical check-up, they discovered a new life, one that includes many people rooting for them and their new beginning.
Aware that each of these young bears could grow to be a 900-pound adult, the Zoo embarked on a campaign program to build a new, expansive habitat in a naturalistic area adjacent to the bear grottos. In June 2007, the Zoo’s vision will become a reality with the unveiling of Hearst Grizzly Gulch, one of the largest exhibits dedicated to grizzly bears. At one acre, Hearst Grizzly Gulch will feature a sunny meadow, pool, herb garden, den and heated rocks for the Kachina and Kiona to do what they do best – explore, romp, swim, fish, dig and nap.