Finding Forever Homes

Life in the wild can be very difficult for animals. What happens when an animal is found by humans and is injured or has been fed or cared for by humans? In most cases, the animal would not be able to survive long-term.

ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park in Hershey, PA is a place where animals who are injured or imprinted by humans can find a permanent, safe home.

The Zoo is home to many animals who would be unable to survive in the wild. Following are three of their stories:

• Murphy, a black bear, arrived from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks where he was placed after becoming dependent on being fed by humans in southwestern Montana. Since Murphy became so accustomed to people, he could not be safely released into the wild.
• Rainier, a mountain lion, was found dehydrated and malnourished on the front porch of a home near Spokane, WA. When the mother wasn’t located, the cub was taken to wildlife rehabilitators at Mt. Spokane Veterinary Hospital. Because of the cub’s age, he needed intervention by humans to ensure his survival. Since August 2014, ZooAmerica has been Rainier’s home.
• Chief, a black bear, was found at a recreation site, begging for food from campers. He was malnourished, missing much of his fur, and he showed no fear of humans. When discovered, he was taken into veterinary care at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Health Lab before flying cross country to ZooAmerica in June 2015.

The residents of ZooAmerica are all North American and the Zoo provides an opportunity to see animals that you would find in your back yard or in other areas across the continent. For more information visit ZooAmerica.com.