Meet Our Animals
See their photos and
read their compelling stories
You can help support feeding our animals by adopting them. You can adopt an animal for $25.00 and receive an adoption certificate with a picture of the animal and the animal's fact sheet.
Go to Adoptions.
 Fawkes is a male American kestrel; he was found and came to the Moonridge Animal Park in 2010. He cannot be released as he has been imprinted on by humans and is unable to survive independently in the wild. Kestrels, formerly known as sparrow hawks, are the smallest of all North American birds of prey. They are only 11 inches long.
They are friendly, sociable birds found in most of North America in habitats from open country to large cities. Kestrels are one of our most beneficial birds, preying on grasshoppers and mice but also on small birds and mammals if food is scare. In urban locations they will prey mostly on house sparrows. In the wild kestrels generally live only 4 years or so, in captivity the maximum recorded age was 17 years. They are friendly, sociable birds found in most of North America in habitats from open country to large cities. Kestrels are one of our most beneficial birds, preying on grasshoppers and mice but also on small birds and mammals if food is scare. In urban locations they will prey mostly on house sparrows. In the wild kestrels generally live only 4 years or so, in captivity the maximum recorded age was 17 years. Currently their are five kestrals in the Moonridge AnimalPark: Hook, Captain Jack Sparrow, Fawkes, Sienna and Slater.
OUR BARN OWLS
Moonridge Animal Park has four Barn Owls: Jareth, NoNo, Screamer, and Puka. Jareth, one of our young barn owls who came to the Moonridge Animal Park around 2007. Jareth works in our Education Program. There are many species of barn owls worldwide with only one species in North America, the common barn owl. Barn owls are the most nocturnal of all owls. Their nocturnal habits and ability to conceal themselves enable them to live close to humans. They have eyes highly adapted for night vision and they see in black and white. Barn owls are protected by law and may not be kept as pets.
 Black
Bears enjoy meat, but mostly eat many kinds of plants such as grasses,
marsh plants, nuts and berries. Male weigh from 250 to 600 lbs. and
grow to 6 ft. in length. They are, by nature, very shy. They
live 10-12 years in the wild, but up to 28 years in captivity.
Click here to view video
One of our Black Bears, Zuni, was found in a watermelon patch near Barstow; no mother was
around, so he was captured and brought to the Park. He was young and
very thin when he first arrived at the Park. He was born
approximately January 2001.
Hucklebeary is another of our Black Bears. He came to us as a very young cub in November 2002.
His severely fractured front leg, which was turning gangrene, had to
be amputated. Thanks to a great amount of tender loving care from
the keeper staff, he survived a large loss of blood and has a new home in
our Park.
Our third Black Bear is a female, who
was orphaned in Northern California in 2005. She came to
us from the California Fish & Game Department. She was a very
small under nourished baby with a bad skin infection, mssing lots
of hair, and very nervous. She now is healthy but imprinted on people and cannot be released. Some
members of the San Mauel Band
of Mission Inidans came to our park and conducted a
naming ceremony. Pakuma
is the name given to the first leader of the Yuhaviatam or People of the
Pines (The San Manuel Band of Mission Indian's own given name even
predating their Spanish given name Serrano Mission Indians), who lived in
the Big Bear Valley area. Therefore, naming the bear cub Pakuma, which means one who prays,
has special meaning to the tribe. Pakuma's nickname is Hollybeary.
Moonridge Animal Park has four bobcats:
Tornado, Mica, Sassy and Shakespeare.
Mica is a female bobcat who came to the Moonridge Animal Park from a Bakersfield facility after being confiscated by Fish & Game as an illegal pet. Bobcats are pound for pound the most
aggressive of the wild cats and even a mountain lion will hesitate to take one on. They are solitary animals who hunt at dawn and dusk. They prey on rabbits, squirrels, mice, gophers, wood rats, and snakes. In the wild the bobcat has no enemies but man. They have a lifespan in the wild of 8-10 years. In captivity they can live to be 22 to 25 years of age.
OUR COATIMUNDI
Elvis is a male coatimundi who came to the Moonridge
Animal Park in 2003. He was confiscated by Fish and Game for being illegally owned.
Coatis are related to raccoons and ringtails but are more active by
day. Females and young band together but males are solitary. They spend much time on the ground but are quite good climbers. They live in the southwest US (Arizona and California) Mexico, Central and South America in forests, forest edges and grasslands usually near water. Their diet consists of insects, lizards, snakes, frogs, carrion, rodents, nuts and fruits. day. Females and young band together but males are solitary. They spend much time on the ground but are quite good climbers. They live in the southwest US (Arizona and California) Mexico, Central and South America in forests, forest edges and grasslands usually near water. Their diet consists of insects, lizards, snakes, frogs, carrion, rodents, nuts and fruits.
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Bonzai is a young male coyote raised at the Moonridge Animal Park, he was born in 2010. He came to us from a fund for animals and is non-releasable because of being hand-raised. Coyotes
weigh between 25-30 lbs and are approximately 2 feet high. They travel alone, in pairs or packs. About 90% of the diet is mammal but they will eat anything including fruits, berries, insects, carrion and garbage. One reason that coyotes can be in close proximity to man is that wherever man goes, there is garbage and rodents. They are extremely adaptable and live comfortably in cities as well as in mountain, forest, farm or woodland habitats.
Lyric and Tango are our other two coytoes.
 Alaska is one of our two bald eagles. He is a male born in 1986. Alaska came to the Moonridge Animal Park in 1992. He suffered a gunshot wound to his right wing and was rescued by the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Eagles have been adopted
as the national symbol of the United States in 1782, bald eagles
are one of the most spectacular and popular birds at Moonridge Animal
Park.
The bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America, and was
once a common sight throughout the United States and most of Canada.
These powerful fliers can swoop out of the sky while hunting, remaining
in control while descending at 100 miles an hour. Yet despite the
strength and speed of this amazing bird, the entire species was
nearly wiped out in the lower 48 states by the pesticide DDT, which
caused birth defects and weakened eggshells. Downgraded to "threatened"
from "endangered" in 1995, the bald eagle is still fully
protected in the United States.
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 The
Moonridge Animal Park is also home to Golden Eagles.
Lulubelle is around ten years old (in 1994)
and has been at the zoo since 1986. She had been removed from her
nest as a baby before her eyes had focused (which happens at about
12 days). She is relatively tame and has no fear of humans. She
is non-releasable and is imprinted on man.
 Clover is a female fisher that the Moonridge Animal Park acquired in 2005 as part of a breeding program. Fishers have been killed in the United States for their fur and are now threatened throughout the country.
Fishers are members of the weasel family. Don't let Clover's cute face fool you, in the wild, fishers are fierce predators who choose porcupines as their favorite delicacy. Fishers are members of the weasel family.
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