Two rescued bears make a new life at Houston Zoo

(7/26/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Our cameras caught a raid where more than a dozen exotic animals were rescued from horrific living conditions in Gonzales County. Since then, two of those animals have made a new home here in Houston, but it was not a simple transition.

It's a happy day for Boomer, lounging in his pool, enjoying the sunshine. However for Boomer and his fellow grizzly Bailey, the road to get here was long and painful.

Boomer and Bailey were among 16 animals seized in a raid last year in Gonzales County near San Antonio. Eleven bears, two tigers, two wild hogs and a macaw were kept in horrifying conditions. For nine years they lived in tiny steel transport cages.

"They were really short cages that didn't allow the bears to stand up, didn't allow them to move around, didn't offer them any water or any food, so they were really tough conditions," said Heidi Brasher of the Houston SPCA.

The SPCA rescued the 16 animals. Some went to facilities in San Antonio, some to Dallas and two lucky grizzly bears came to the Houston Zoo to start a new life. It was easier said than done.

"They've never known anything but cages and it's scary to go outside because they didn't know what outside was," said zoo keeper Carolyn Mathews-Borak.

The 400-500 pound grizzlies are close to 30 years old. Unable to stand upright for decades, their muscles had atrophied, arthritis had set in and simple things like rocks and water were unfamiliar to them.

"We've got the slope that goes down to the exhibit, so they've always been on a flat surface," said Mathews-Borak. "Going up and down was new to them, a little scary. They took some slips here and there and they've learned to overcome that."

Alone their whole lives, they're now together. Now free to swim and play. Little by little with diligent care from zoo keepers, these giant but gentle animals have settled in to a blissful existence near the end of their tragic lives. Now finding the peace they have so long deserved.

"To be able to interact with each other and really enjoy the rest of their lives, that's the best part about what we do," Brasher said.

The Houston SPCA is still looking for a home for a European Brown Bear named Betsy. You can visit Boomer and Bailey anytime at the Houston Zoo.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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