‘Silly’ bear known for lounging with all 4 of her paws in air dies in North Carolina
A “silly” black bear known for relaxing upside down — with her paws in the air — has died in North Carolina.
Yona arrived at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham after she was found orphaned along a Tennessee roadside.
Now, more than a decade after she was rescued as a cub, the nature center that gave her a second chance in 2010 shared an emotional tribute.
“She could be seen most days lounging in the sun, often with all four of her paws in the air,” the center wrote Tuesday, May 23, on Facebook. “She was an important part of our museum family. She delighted guests with her antics and was an ambassador for her species. We will miss her dearly.”
Sherry Samuels, senior director of animal care at the museum, also published touching words about Yona in a blog post. The bear had trouble urinating before a team discovered several other medical complications and decided to euthanize her.
“As my voice cracked and my eyes began to water, I thanked the team who had been working on Yona for longer than anyone had planned and asked them to thank the other 50 or so people who had assisted,” Samuels wrote.
Yona is remembered for being a “cherished” part of the museum, leaving behind three other black bears in her habitat. Though she limped when she first got to the Durham facility, officials said her “arm issues never stopped her from doing anything.”
“From the beginning, she was an active and somewhat silly bear,” Samuels wrote. “Finding her lying on her back playing with tree limbs or enrichment toys and apparently enjoying her time in our habitat were regular sights.”
Yona was born in 2009 and weighed 4 pounds when she was found orphaned. As cubs, black bears are tiny and typically spend several months with their mothers, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
When she was young, Yona went to a rehab center called Appalachian Bear Rescue, where she showed interest in human contact. Since that made future survival in the wild difficult, the Durham center agreed to take her in.
“Upside-down, feet in the air, was how I would mostly see her in the early years,” Samuels wrote in the blog post, adding that Yona often continued to sleep that way as she got older.
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