A new bear is in town and is living at the Cameron Park Zoo.
The American black bear, named Mowgli, arrived at the zoo from Garrison, Minnesota. Zoo staff estimate that he is about seven months old and weighs about 50 pounds.
He was named by keepers at Cameron Park Zoo, who named him as a tribute to his predecessor, Balou.
He ended up at Cameron Park Zoo after his mother died during hibernation and Mowgli and his sister were rescued by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials, the zoo said.
At that time, the bears weighed only one pound and three ounces. However, his sister didn't make it.
The zoo said that since Mowgli had been hand-reared for so long he had imprinted on humans and was not a good candidate for release into the wild.
Now, Mowgli is in Waco and was cleared from quarantine so will now be introduced to the zoo's bear yard under keeper supervision.
"We will slowly introduce him to Donna, our elderly female bear," the zoo said in a Facebook post. "She may not accept a youngster in her midst so we will allow them to take turns using the bear exhibit yard if she would rather be alone. Bears are solitary by nature except when in family groups of mothers and cubs, or when pairing for breeding."
The post also specified that it will take Mowgli time to get used to the new habitat and will not be out every day. However, visitors might catch a glimpse of him in the mornings as his keepers help him get acclimated.
