Saying Goodbye to a Truly Great Bear

One of the hardest parts of our work is saying goodbye to the animals we love and care for. Today, our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team made the compassionate decision to euthanize our approximately 35-year-old male grizzly bear, ‘Skoki’. 

As a wild-born bear, Skoki joined the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo in 1996 at around six years old. He was a beloved member of our zoo family for nearly three decades, with a story known and cherished across Alberta and beyond. 

At approximately 35 years old, Skoki was very geriatric for his species. His caregivers cherished every precious day with him, and it was a privilege to care for him through all the seasons of his life. In recent years, he received attentive, supportive care—including pain management, diet adjustments, and habitat modifications—to ensure his comfort during his golden years. 

Born in Banff National Park, he was first known as “Grizzly Bear #16” (GB16). In his early years, Skoki showed little interest in people, but as he matured, he learned to associate humans with food, earning a reputation as a “problem bear.” Our partners at Parks Canada worked tirelessly to encourage GB16 to stay away from people, relocating him several times, but he always returned to the Bow Valley. When relocation proved ineffective, Parks Canada advocated for him to come into human care at the zoo, giving him a chance to live a long, full life rather than be destroyed. 

Skoki became much more than a bear in our care—he became family. Over the years, his calm, easy-going nature allowed him to live alongside several habitat mates, and his presence taught millions of visitors about bears and how to safely coexist with them in the wild. Skoki was truly a great bear and his legacy is one of education, compassion, and a deep connection between people and wildlife.  

We hope his story continues to inspire everyone to help keep wild bears wild:

• Don’t leave food out while camping or hiking
• Limit time spent watching wild bears from cars
• Keep pets on-leash to prevent human-bear interactions 

With Skoki’s goodbye fresh on our hearts, our focus is now on his habitat mate, ‘Khutzmateen’, affectionately known as “Khutzy.” She is also very geriatric and receiving comfort care during this season of her life. Her dedicated caregivers are cherishing every precious moment with her, knowing it will soon be time to lovingly walk her home. 

Skoki will be deeply missed, but his impact on wildlife, our community, and everyone who had the privilege to know him will never be forgotten.