(French Creek) — He was the main attraction at the
Jack was born in captivity to a bear named "Suzy".
"Suzy had three cubs, one of which was Jack, the guys who worked there gave them the names of Jack and Jill and Bill," explained the retired Vanscoy who now makes his home in
A veterinarian patched up the young bear and isolated it from his bullying brother and sister. During his recovery, the other two cubs from Jack’s litter were released into the wild, but Jack was still on the mend and stayed at the center for good.
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"Jack" in his pen at the W.V. Wildlife Center shortly before he died in 1994 |
His early days were spent on the concrete of a pen near the office. Many will remember the facility as the French Creek Game Farm, but later the DNR transformed the operation into a more expansive exhibit area to the present day wildlife center. They believed that Jack would enjoy an opportunity to roam on soil and live more like a natural bear.
"Au contraire," said Vanscoy. "He was apprehensive about stepping on the dirt. He’d keep one paw on the runway of the den, which was concrete, and stick the other paw on the dirt then pull it away."
Vanscoy says it took a couple of weeks for the bear to finally accept his new surroundings. Over the course of his life however, Jack proved to be a very acceptable bear of most things.
"As bears go he was pretty friendly. Not at all aggressive or ill mannered," Vanscoy said. "During his entire life I don’t think I ever saw him get angry."
Jack’s impressive size may have had a lot to do with his gentle disposition. Vanscoy estimates at his greatest weight Jack tipped the scales at 700 pounds. Other accounts of those at the Wildlife Center have actually placed him at close to 900 pounds.
"He was as big a black bear as you’ll ever see," said Vanscoy. "He was the biggest black bear I ever saw."
Jack became a favorite of all who visited the center over the course of his life. He was more than willing to walk down to the fence to give gawkers a show. He was fond of peanuts, which he’d pull into a small pile and then eat one by one with his gigantic paws–shucking the shell and eating only the nut. He was easy to guide by center personnel us used his penchant for candy bars to entice him to do their bidding. He finally died in 1994 at more than 22-years of age.
The story does not end there however. Some realized the value of Jack as a wildlife center exhibit. His carcass for many years sat in a DNR research freezer and was on the verge of being tossed out. Enter DNR Conservation Officer Jeff Craig of Grant County.
"I took him to a taxidermist to check his condition for a mount. The taxidermist thought, with some work, we could save him and he agreed to work at cost if I could come up with the money to mount him," said Craig. "I contacted some friends in Grant County who hold a beerfest every year and donate the money to the DNR’s bear program. I explained about Jack and they agreed to put all of the funds toward the project."
Led by Stewart and Kathy Hornby of the Wildernest Inn in Petersburg the group managed to raise $2,000 for the work. Rick Dunlap of Rick’s Taxidermy in Buckhannon performed the work and Jack is mounted on wooden base donated by Carl Waybright, a local bear hunter.
Thanks to their efforts, Jack will continue to be an attraction at the Wildlife Center in French Creek