May 20th 2023

There's a new adorable reason to visit the Cape May County Zoo.  Billie Jean, a 17-year-old spectacled bear, arrived on Monday from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  Billie Jean helped raise many cubs that will be critical to the species' survival in the wild.

Spectacled bears are the only bear native to South America. They are found from Venezuela through Bolivia in the Andes mountains.  They get their name from a common outline around their eyes that resembles glasses.  Billie Jean can be found in the bear habitat in the South American section of the zoo.

The Cape May County Zoo is open every day but Christmas day, and is one of the best free (donations welcome!) zoos in the world, holding both major accredidations that less than 10% of North American zoos and aquariums hold.