Black Bear exhibit coming to Merced's Applegate Zoo as part of renovation project

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Some of the most beloved residents at Merced's Applegate Park Zoo will get more than the "bear necessities."

The City Council allocated $1.8 million in funding for much-needed renovations.

The main improvement project involves the former mountain lion enclosure.

It will transform into the largest exhibit in the zoo's history for two American Black Bears.

"The bear enclosure will be a replica of where you would find a bear naturally in the Sierra Nevada," says Christopher Jensen with the City of Merced. "We'll have hints of water. We'll have water features. We will have digging pits with trees."

The new enclosure should be complete by late spring of 2026 and is one of many to come at the Merced animal sanctuary.