Koshari, one of the largest black bears in New Mexico, was over 20 years old and an educational ambassador at Wildlife West in Edgewood for the last 18 years. He was among the park visitors’ favorites and could often be seen relaxing in front of the plexiglass window in his natural habitat. He was recently in declining health and was surrounded by the park’s volunteer animal caregivers in his last days before park leaders made the difficult decision to put him down. This week, staff gave their final farewells to the bear.
Koshari, which means clown in Navajo, came to Wildlife West in 2005 after being captured by New Mexico Game and Fish officers at Navajo Lake in northern New Mexico. He would often wander into campgrounds and swim out to people’s boats to break into their coolers.
In the wild, black bears can eat up to 30,000 calories a day and in his younger days, Koshari ate about 150 pounds of food a week, including omnivore kibble, nuts, seeds, meat, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Staff say he was a dainty eater and could be seen picking up individual grapes to eat.
Wildlife West currently has over 20 species of native rescued and non-releasable wildlife at the park. For more information about the park and its other animals, visit www.wildlifewest.org or call 505-281-7655.
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