COLORADO NEWS

Colorado zoo celebrates birthday of oldest Asiatic black bear in the U.S.

Jan 22, 2025, 4:34 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2025, 4:26 pm

Next time you go to the zoo in Colorado, you may actually be looking at an animal that’s in pretty rare company…

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs just celebrated 32-year-old Beez, the oldest Asiatic black bear in the United States, on Monday (Jan 20).

Beez enjoyed a birthday feast of her favorite treats, including strawberries, whipped cream, and a “bear chow cake.”

The zoo says she has outlived her species’ median life expectancy by three years and stays active through enrichment activities despite her age-related arthritis.

Staff describe Beez as embracing her golden years with her signature gentle nature and charm. In human years, Beez would be 90.

Colorado News

(Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado restaurant appears on ‘Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ the same exact day the state shut it down

Getting on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” once is a big deal. Getting invited back years later is a full-circle moment. Colorado Springs’ Piglatin Cocina got that second invite this fall, […]

12 hours ago

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado marmot hitchhikes down from mountains and shows up in Longmont school parking lot

Some kids beg to go to the mountains. One marmot apparently wanted to see what school was all about. Staff and neighbors spotted a yellow-bellied marmot wandering the grounds of […]

12 hours ago

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Rumors about Coach Prime leaving Colorado heat up after Florida State fires their head coach

The leaves are falling in Boulder, and so are the rumors. Speculation about Deion Sanders’ future at the University of Colorado picked up this week after Florida State, where Sanders […]

13 hours ago

Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Those lit up Coca-Cola Christmas trucks from the commercials are stopping in Colorado

“Holidays are coming.” If you can hear the jingle just from reading those words, this one’s for you. The glowing red Coca-Cola holiday trucks from the TV commercials are making […]

13 hours ago

Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

What is ‘foie gras’ and why is Denver voting on it?

Denver’s ballot this year has taxes, natural gas and one French word most of us have never had to pronounce out loud. On Tuesday, Denver voters will decide Initiated Ordinance […]

1 day ago

A Christmas Story...

Shawn Patrick

Meet Ralphie: ‘A Christmas Story’ star to visit Colorado Nov. 25 to watch movie with fans

In Colorado, “Ralphie” usually means a 1,000-pound buffalo charging across Folsom Field. On Wednesday, Nov. 25, a different Ralphie is coming to town. Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie Parker in […]

2 days ago

Colorado zoo celebrates birthday of oldest Asiatic black bear in the U.S.