Escape from the Zoo

In 1919, after a hunting trip to Humboldt county, Mr. and Mrs. Deming Wheeler bought home a black bear cub. Mrs Wheeler had shot the mother and the following day they found the cub in a cave close to the Tish-Tang-A-Tang river after which the bear was named.

It was described as a "pet bear cub." It was not soon before the "pet" was placed in the De Laveaga Park zoo. A second bear was donated later that year. She was caught in Morgan Valley, Lake County. Deputy State Fish and Game Commissioner J. D. [Dave] Dondero donated him to the zoo, so she was named Dera for short. A bear pen was built at to zoo for the two bears and in October 1919 they were turned out into it.  The Sentinel advised "If you want to make the bears happy when you go out to see them, take them fruit, they love it.

The following year in July, the bears escaped. The larger was caught very quickly, but the smaller evaded capture. This one had escaped the week before only to be captured on Blackburn Gulch Road The hope was, that being so young and very domesticated, he would return home of his own accord. He had been missing over three weeks when he was spotted near Soquel. 

But, it wasn't until October 28, that the fate of the bear was sealed. He was shot by J. C. Abner who was living on the Kennedy Ranch on the Laurel branch of Soquel creek. The bear was shot because he was eating Abner's chickens and quote "otherwise making himself obnoxious." He also feared for his children since the animal was "no longer in the infant class."

A photograph of the remaining bear eating the bars of his cage circa 1920 can be found HERE courtesy UCSC, McHenry Library, Special Collections, Santa Cruz County Historic Photograph Collection.

In 1933, when the park decided to close the zoo. The zoo's cinnamon bear, reputedly went to "J. M Sizelove, of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Highway." According to local historian Ross Gibson, this bear's name was Chilcano.