ALPINE, Calif. — The Lions, Tigers & Bears Sanctuary in Alpine just welcomed a new resident- a 700-pound grizzly bear named Rocky!
Rocky just arrived at his new home on Saturday from the Los Angeles area.
"He's just kinda getting used to the sights, smells, and the good food," said Lions Tigers & Bears Founder and Director, Bobbi Brink.
Right now, Rocky is in mandatory quarantine, so guests won’t be able to visit him for at least another 30-to-60 days.
That’s when he'll be moved into a more permanent habitat where he can roam and play with Cherry Bomb, another grizzly bear who lives on the property.
"Every animal that goes into Lions Tigers & Bears goes into what we call quarantine situation like this so we can make sure number one, they're healthy and they don't have any transferable diseases, and then most importantly, get to know their keepers, know the routine, know that food is coming every day," said Brink.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego Zoo Safari Park celebrates 50 years
For much of his life, Rocky worked in the entertainment industry and appeared in movies, though it's unclear which ones.
He recently retired, at which point his owners reached out to Brink asking if he can spend the rest of his life here.
"Grizzly bears can live 30 years or a little bit more in captivity, so he still has a lot of good life left here,” said Brink.
Caring for Rocky and other grizzlies, however, comes at a steep cost.
"Some of our biggest expenses with these animals of course they have to have keepers, the habitats are outrageously expensive, and then of course I'm sure you can imagine how much food a grizzly bear eats," said Brink.
WATCH RELATED: Sea lion wanders onto San Diego freeway
Despite that, Brink says she's happy to welcome Rocky, saying this is where he should be.
"A lot of times, animals used in the entertainment industry disappear, or they're put down or they're housed in a tiny little cage for life and we don't know what happens to most of them. Rocky is gonna have a happy retirement here at Lions Tigers & Bears," said Brink.
The sanctuary is raising money to care for Rocky and build him a climbing wall.
If you would like to donate, click here.