Noni the black bear, known by her Sequoia Park Zoo caretakers as “twinkle toes” for her habit of perching on the thinnest branches at the top of the redwood trees in her enclosure, has died. She was 2. The Sequoia Park Zoo announced her passing in a social media post today, nearly a week after the young bear underwent emergency surgery due to connective tissue causing damage to her colon.
Noni was rushed back to another emergency surgery on Wednesday, the zoo states, during which “it was discovered that the trauma to her colon was irreversible, and the organ had been unable to recover.”
“During her too-short time at the zoo, Noni delighted staff, volunteers, and visitors with her silly antics and goofy personality,” the announcement states. “Noni particularly enjoyed playing in bubbles and splashing in water, and zookeepers often joked about needing to get her a hot tub for the backyard.”
The zoo describes Noni as “a truly beautiful bear with a gorgeous coat, long eyelashes, blonde eyebrows, and a perfectly heart-shaped nose that would wiggle as she sniffed out her favorite treats, including peanuts, yogurt, and honey.”
Noni and fellow bear roommate Tule were not litter mates but were raised together at a wildlife rescue center after being found orphaned as cubs.
Tule was just a few weeks old, weighing a mere 3.7 pounds, when he was found in April of 2022 on Tule River Nation Reservation in Tulare County and was transferred to the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Center after a several-days-long attempt to find and reunite the cub with his mother was unsuccessful.
A month later, Noni — a little larger at 6.5 pounds — was also discovered as an orphan in the Oak Run area of Shasta County, about 20 miles east of Redding, and joined Tule at the rescue facility, where they would spend the next year together being nursed back to health.
Unfortunately, officials with the California Department Fish and Wildlife deemed both of the cubs unsuitable for release back into the wild and they were brought to the Sequoia Park Zoo in May of 2023.
“Animal care staff are giving Tule extra attention while he adjusts to this new normal, and they report that he is eating well and interacting with enrichment,” the zoo states. “However, we remind visitors that Tule might choose to spend more time in the patio and night house, and he might not always be visible to guests.”
The zoo is asking the community to share their favorite photos and memories of Noni on the Sequoia Park Zoo Facebook page post and to consider donations in her name to the Animal Enrichment Fund at redwoodzoo.org.
“Noni brought so much joy to our zoo, and it is impossible to express the depths of our sadness at the passing of our sweet bear,” the post states. “These past few days have been incredibly difficult for the zoo team, especially for Noni’s dedicated caretakers, and we appreciate the care and support shown by our community. The loss of a beloved member of our animal family has a profound impact that never gets easier, and we know that our community is mourning alongside us.
“We are so fortunate to have been able to care for Noni, and we will miss her deeply.”
This article appears in Combating the Barred Owl Invasion.
