January 2020
– With its acorn-laden oak trees, swimming pool, and grassy hillside, Mack's new habitat at ARK 2000 provides a greatly expanded and enriched place where a bear can live more like a bear. Mack, now 5 years old, is still youthful and very energetic despite having only three legs.
Last year Mack was moved to ARK 2000 from PAWS' original sanctuary in Galt, California, where he has been since his arrival as an orphaned yearling in August 2016. We may never know the story of how the little cub lost much of his right hind leg, or what led to him being found alone, begging people for food and attention. PAWS' veterinarian Dr. Gai performed an anesthetized examination to evaluate his leg and overall health several months after his arrival, and X-rays suggest that he may have been born with a malformed leg although a traumatic injury very early in life cannot be definitively ruled out. The one thing we do know is that Mack doesn't let this slow him down at all, and he is in excellent health in every other way.
