Grizzly Bears - The Bear on the Flag

Photo: Region 5 Photography, public domain (cropped)

A stop on Oakland Zoo: Savanna to California Trail, a free self-guided tour.

The grizzly on California's flag stands for a bear that no longer lives here. Grizzlies once numbered in the thousands across the state, but they were hunted out, and the last known wild California grizzly was shot in the 1920s.

The zoo's grizzlies came here as orphaned cubs from Alaska in 2018. Their mothers had been killed after becoming dangerous around people, and the cubs could not be released because they had learned the same risky habits. Here they have a large hillside habitat with a pool and room to dig and forage.

Grizzlies are a kind of brown bear, recognized by the big muscular hump on their shoulders, which powers their digging. You may see a bear splashing in the water, flipping logs for insects or dozing in the sun.

Getting here: Walk downhill along the trail from the pavilion to the grizzly bear viewing area.

Did you know?: FedEx flew the zoo's orphaned grizzly cubs from Alaska to Oakland in May 2018.

Photo op: From the viewing area, shoot across the pool; a bear in the water with the hills behind it makes the classic picture.

For kids: Find the shoulder hump on a grizzly. It is pure muscle for digging.

Nearby: The California Wilds! Playground is just ahead, with restrooms back toward the pavilion.

More on Wikipedia: Grizzly bear · California grizzly bear · Flag of California

Grizzly Bears - The Bear on the Flag

Stops on this tour