Jimbo The Kodiak Bear Dies After Spending 20 Years With The Kowalczik Family

Sep 19, 2018

Wild animals live in the wild for a reason. They are impossible to truly tame, so they have to live in their natural habitats. When a wild animal is taken into captivity, it is normally quite dangerous.

One wild animal proved to be an exception to that rule.

Jimbo was a Kodiak bear who grew up in captivity. On one fateful day, Jimbo became injured and was adopted by Jim Kowalczik. Jim knew that Jimbo was a wild animal, but Jimbo had never lived in a wild. The cub would never be able to survive if it returned to the wild.

It seemed like there were no other options, so Jim Kowalczik made the cub a part of his family. With his wife, Susan, Jim ran the Orphaned Wildlife Center in Ottisville, New York. Together, they cared for injured bears. If the bears were from the wild, they were released after they were healed.

Jimbo was an exception. He lived at the wildlife refuge with 11 other bears for the rest of his life. Some of the bears were orphans who were all alone in the world. Other bears were survivors of car crashes. Jimbo soon became the Kowalczik family's favorite bear. He was photographed playing with the family, and videos of Jimbo showed just how much he loved being with Jim.

Unfortunately, Jimbo started to feel ill in February. The Kowalczik family tried everything. They gave him medication, but it did not seem to help. Jimbo kept getting sicker and sicker.

Finally, they discovered the problem.

At 24 years old, Jimbo had developed liver cancer. While he was in pain for most of the time, he was still the lovable, adorable bear that the family first fell in love with. As he became sicker, the family spent more time cuddling with Jimbo. They did their best to make him as comfortable as possible. A month later, Jimbo passed away. Susan and Jim could not believe that he was gone. After being such a big part of their family for more than 20 years, it seemed impossible to imagine a life without Jimbo. He was truly a one-of-a-kind bear.

The adorable bear will be remembered forever by the Kowalczik family. Now, the entire world gets to see this amazing bear in action. Through the adorable pictures and videos, the family is showing everyone what this unusual bear was like in person.

Help the Kowalczik family mourn the loss of this gentle giant by telling everyone you know about this story.