Beloved Shubenacadie bears Ginger and Cinnamon put down

HALIFAX – Ginger and Cinnamon, two bears that had been living in Shubenacadie Provincial Park, have been put down according to a tweet from their pal, Shubenacadie Sam.

In a series of tweets from the groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam said the aging bears had been too sick from their worsening illnesses, and on advice from veterinarians, the park, “made the difficult but necessary decision to relieve them of their suffering.”

The park almost put Ginger and Cinnamon down back in May of last year, but decided to let them live in the park for at least another year, or until their health got worse. Ginger and Cinnamon were both almost 23 years old.

Bob Petrie, director of wildlife with Department of Natural Resources, said both bears had arthritis and mobility issues that you could expect with aging bears, and recently, one had a “medical event” that severely impaired it’s mobility.

Both bears were being monitored by park staff and veterinarians, who ultimately decided their age and sickness was too much.

“They brought lots of joy & we will miss them,” their pal Sam wrote.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They brought lots of joy & we will miss them," their pal Sam wrote.

Ginger and Cinnamon had been living at the park since they were cubs, and the park family was saddened to see them go.

“They were part of the family, and had been together all their life,” Petrie said, adding that this is a part of life.

“Our park workers, the park is like a family, and our visitors who frequent the park, the bears were well loved.”

A necropsy will be performed to determine what happened to the bears.