Montana opens bear zoo

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- A grizzly bear zoo has opened in Bozeman with three 400-pound residents.

Two of the bears, Sheena and Christi, are 18-year-old siblings who spent both of their lives crammed into small quarters in Texas, after plans fell apart to train them for a circus.

"The guy pretty much just had them in cages," said Casey Anderson, one of the partners in Montana Grizzly Encounter, a facility 10 miles east of Bozeman along Interstate 90.

Brutus, a 2-year-old male, comes to Montana Grizzly Encounter from a drive-through bear zoo in Idaho. All three bears were born in captivity and all are neutered.

The bears will share an exhibit space with grassy hillsides, boulders for climbing and a waterfall and pond for swimming on warm days.

Interpretive displays address topics like traveling safely in bear country, how to behave if an encounter occurs, grizzly biology and habitat needs.

A 12-foot-deep moat keeps bears and viewers separated.