Barney, a beloved black bear and favorite attraction at Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail since 1989, died Tuesday, stunning zoo workers.
In 1989, two years after he was born in captivity, Barnett Shoals Elementary School purchased Barney from a Cherokee Indian bear dealer and donated him to the zoo. At the time of his death, Barney stood about 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighed 630 pounds.
Barney was fine Tuesday morning, but by about 1:30 p.m., a worker reported that he wasn’t moving. Vets at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine performed a necropsy on Barney Tuesday afternoon, but it could be two to three weeks before officials find a cause of death.
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