2026On September 26th, a 27-year-old castrated male Ezo brown bear, Hirotake, passed away.

His walking has been worse than before, and he has been taking many days off and receiving medication for treatment.This year, he has become unable to stand and has been retired from exhibition at the zoo and recuperated in the animal enclosure. Although he was unable to stand up, he knew how to get around and was able to move around smoothly, including moving rooms for cleaning.He had a strong appetite and when I prepared food, he approached me and pressured me to come quickly, and he happily tore up the mat I had placed to prevent bedsores.

During the anesthetic examination on August 26th, there was an extremely high inflammation value, and although additional medication was given, the value remained high at the time of the re-examination.
Since September 24th, the dog has been suffering from poor appetite and has lost its appetite.On the 26th, an emergency anesthesia examination was performed, but bleeding and gas filling in the abdominal cavity and necrosis of the intestines were confirmed, so we made the difficult decision to euthanize the dog on the spot.

As a result of the autopsy, the cause of death wasIntestinal torsion and severe hip abnormalities (rupture and necrosis of surrounding areas due to dislocation)It is said that

This bear came to Bear Mountain in April 2006 and has been at the forefront of Bear Mountain's history ever since it opened.
He was a cute bear with a round and cute face, innocent, strong, smart, playful, and cute, and he did a great job at events and public relations.
The way he played innocently at Bear Point and in the park fascinated many people, and when it came to bears, he ran away from the late Santa Hinata in a hurry, and when he and the late Kouji thought about him, he had a smug look on his face, and he had good and bad relationships with his father Kota and the late Moko...I heard that when he was young, he was quite strong and would pick fights with all kinds of bears.

I would like to thank you for all the support you have given me since I announced my retirement on social media, and for the many gifts and consideration you have given to Hirotake.
All the staff would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who loved and supported Hirotake.

October 7, 2026

Currently at our facilityThere are 8 Ezo brown bears in captivity.