About Shoni

Name

Shoni (Female)

Age

Shoni is a full-grown adult bear and was probably a year or two old when she came to Zoo Idaho. As of 2025, she is approximately 11–12 years old.

Size

Due to her mother's absence, Shoni didn't receive the nourishment she needed as a baby bear, so she didn't grow as large as most grizzly bears. She is stumpy and about the size of an ATV.

Back to Top

Shoni's Rescue Story

Shoni's story began in a Wyoming campground where she was found rummaging through food coolers for scraps. With no sign of her mother nearby, it was presumed that something had gone wrong, leaving Shoni orphaned and fending for herself.

Back to Top

Fun Facts About Shoni

Favorite Activities

  • Shoni is a bear, so she loves to eat! She likes giant hunks of meat best like an elk leg. She will drag it around for a week!
  • She will also burst out of the bushes at her keepers when they turn the sprinklers on. It makes them jump, even knowing there is a fence between them.
  • She likes her pool. When she is shedding, there is a full pool of hair!

Fun Facts

  • If you time it right, the keepers will put peanut butter on the glass side of her enclosure, so visitors can see her lick it off!
  • She is brown in the summer and blonde in the winter!
  • In July, she is still shedding her winter coat.
  • She has many water sources! She has separate swimming and drinking water.

Training Behaviors

  • Shoni will show her feet.
  • She knows to show her teeth!
  • She can "target," which is putting a body part—like a paw—on a squeeze ball.
  • She is working on "shift," where she moves to her den or activity yard.
Back to Top

Shoni's Diet

Regular Foods

Shoni is an omnivore who eats fruits, veggies, leafy greens, meat portions, nuts, and mealworms. She also has a bone day for tooth care.

Favorite Foods

She likes to eat her fruit first and then her veggies. She loves grapes!

Back to Top

How to See Shoni

  • The best time to see Shoni is first thing in the morning when she is eating breakfast in her enclosure. She is fed in front of the glass observation area.
  • From 2:30 – 4:00 p.m., keepers are cleaning and training. Shoni is out engaging with them.
  • The glass in her enclosure lets her see you when you see her!
  • She is harder to see in the summer when it is hot.
  • When her enclosure is being cleaned, she is in a separate yard for activities and exercise. She has space and water there.
Back to Top