- Black bear unexpectedly dies at AZA zoo during routine medical procedure

Another animal under the AZA family of zoo’s has died during a routine medical procedure. The youngest black bear in the Oregon Zoo's family, Takoda, died on Friday during a regular medical treatment, leaving the institution in deep sorrow.

Travis Koons, who is in charge of the zoo's Great Northwest region, described the situation as "devastating" for both the workers and the broader zoo community. Takoda made me very happy. He was the heart and soul of the group of black bears as well as the caretakers. He was adored by everyone, even the more senior bears who welcomed him into their pack, the keepers who took daily care of him, and his hordes of followers on social media. Heartbreaking, I tell you.

According to a statement issued by the zoo, Takoda experienced a heart arrest while receiving a standard health check while under anesthetic.

He claimed, "Our veterinary staff tried everything to bring him back." "They gave him CPR for over 30 minutes, but they couldn't save him."

In November 2010, Takoda, whose name in the Sioux language meant "friend to all," came at the Oregon Zoo. He had been abandoned as a cub in Montana, where he was discovered when he was under 3 pounds, hungry, thirsty, and orphaned. The baby cub was saved by wildlife authorities and brought back to health. However, he was unable to be returned to the wild, therefore a new home was found for him in the zoo's Black Bear Ridge.

Takoda amazed guests and employees during his first eight years at the zoo by scaling a 50-foot Douglas fir tree in his habitat each spring to gorge himself on the new growth near the top. While Takoda was foraging, his friends Cubby, Tuff, and Dale would wait below to grab whatever dropped.

Koons remarked that it was "awesome" to witness a 400-pound bear perched that high in one of those enormous trees. To be honest, it's a little frightening for us, but black bears are natural climbers.

When he became an adult, Koons claimed, he stopped ascending to those heights, but you could still rely on him to signal the passing of the seasons. On hotter days, he developed a reputation for amusingly unwinding in a robust 300-gallon tub that his attendants kept chilly.

He enjoyed swimming around in his bathtub, according to Koons. He was vivacious, astoundingly intelligent, and a remarkable, joy-loving person.