Hogle Zoo Welcomes New Animals

Some unique animals have made their way to Utah's Hogle Zoo over the past few weeks including a trio of grizzly bears, and one blind and aptly named sea lion named Big Guy.

At Salt Lake International Airport, a FedEX plane delivered three seals from LA. and then three young grizzly bears. Loulou, Dolly and Koda are 3 year-old siblings from the Buffalo Zoo in New York. They were driven across the country in 48 hours in a specialized trailer. Next to arrive was Rizzo, a 14-year-old Polar Bear. She came on a DHL plane after an all-night fight from Cincinnati.

It's a very long and complicated process involving many different modes of transportation, especially for the unique animals of this beautiful new exhibit, Rocky Shores. The last of the Rocky Shores animals arrived in Utah early Friday morning. The three sea lions flew in from California: Maverick and Rocky, the two smaller lions, and the aptly named Big Guy.

Big Guy weighed in at the airport at approximately 800 lbs. One of the reasons he had to fly FedEx is because he was too big to drive. Like his size, his story is unique. He was found injured on a Southern California Beach and rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for two years. He's also blind. Moving him into his temporary home at the zoo took a little convincing with some fishy treats. But once he found the water, he was happy and will really get to stretch his limbs when he moves into Rock Shores and it's new state of the art pool.
Rocky Shores will open to the public on June 1st. By then Rizzo, Big Guy, and all the other new animals will be familiar with their new home. KSL.com