OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Named after actor Keanu Reeves, a one-year-old black bear finds a new home at Menominee Park Zoo.
- Mr. Reeves is a close-to one-year-old black bear from Alaska.
- You can visit Mr. Reeves at Menominee Park Zoo until New Year's Eve.
- The zoo hopes to bring in a second bear in the near future.
Mr. Reeves, a near one-year-old bear from Alaska, came home to Oshkosh on Nov. 8.
According to assistant parks director, Chad Dallman, Mr. Reeves was taken in by the Alaska Zoo because he lost his fear of humans, associating them instead with food, which can be dangerous to the public.
Mr. Reeves was named after the John Wick actor, Keanu Reeves, and has acclimated quickly to Oshkosh, according to Dallman.
“They call him a chill bear," he says.
Dallman says it's been decades since the zoo has had a bear exhibit, so they're excited to welcome Mr. Reeves.
“People are going to see him grow for years to come," he says. "I think of how kids will come into this and see him as a cub of less than one year old, and he might be here 30 years from now.”
Mr. Reeves' exhibit was built for two bears, according to Dallman, so the zoo is already on the list for a companion.
“It’s the best place in the city," Nikita Kaptel, a frequent visitor of the zoo and Oshkosh resident, says.
Kaptel and his wife say they bring their two-year-old son, Nickolas, to the zoo twice a month.
"It's the best growing for children because they have opportunities to learn this world from the animals," he says.
The Kaptels were part of the over 100,000 visitors that came to Menominee Park Zoo in the 2024 season.
This year, the zoo will be open until Dec. 31, Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Admission to the zoo is free.
