The Zoo in Your Backyard

Bear Hollow Zoo provides learning opportunities to UGA students

On any given day, D.J. can usually be found relaxing on a raised platform under shady trees. On her afternoon stroll, Kelly Garrison may notice him and call down with a greeting.

He doesn’t respond — not with words at least.

D.J. is an American black bear and one of the many animals at the Bear Hollow Zoo, a hidden gem in the Athens-Clarke County community. This county-funded zoo houses various animals that you would naturally find in Georgia.

Two young children at the zoo look through a grate watching a bear in its enclosure. — Young visitors watch the bears in their habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.

A bear at a zoo sleeps peacefully in a large brown hammock surrounded by greenery. — Yonah the bear lounges in a hammock in her habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.

A bear with its back to the camera sits on wooden steps in a zoo's forest enclosure. — Athena the bear relaxes in her habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.

The animals of Bear Hollow are non-releasable due to disability or other circumstances that would make it difficult for them to live in the wild. Now, they serve as ambassadors for their species, motivating visitors to protect wildlife.

“It’s not every day that you get to go to a free local zoo,” said Garrison, the zoo coordinator of Bear Hollow. “It gives a lot of opportunities to all of the residents of Athens-Clarke County and even the surrounding areas to have a fun attraction that they can go to and learn a bit about.”

Garrison manages zoo animals, maintains their habitats and collaborates with staff, volunteers, and University of Georgia students on essential zoo tasks.

A dark brown bear walks across large rocks in a pond in its zoo enclosure. — A bear wanders around its habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.

A large brown beaver on the ground of its zoo enclosure picks at the greenery sprouting from a fence. — A beaver at Bear Hollow Zoo takes a look around its enclosure.

A tiny alligator is held tightly in a person's hand while they prepare for its medical exam. The person is wearing a black t-shirt that reads "bear hollow zoo, athens, ga". — Kelly Wall Garrison, Bear Hollow Zoo coordinator, holds an alligator during an annual exam at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Clear plastic bins are filled with colorful toys for pets and zoo animals. — Boxes filled with interactive animal toys at Bear Hollow Zoo make great entertainment for the residents.

A closeup of a smiling woman holding a white and grey opossum on her shoulder at the zoo. — Bear Hollow Zoo program specialist Megan Hong works with a resident opossum.

Helping (and Healing) Hands

Summit St. John, a fourth-year wildlife sciences major in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, said she gained invaluable experience by volunteering at Bear Hollow under the Animal Care Internship program.

“I like learning how to contribute to animal care and how to make sure animals have the resources that they need to thrive,” St. John said. “I’ve interned at Zoo Atlanta, but Bear Hollow has given me the chance to work with so many animals that I didn’t have the opportunity to work with.”

In the program, St. John assists the full-time zoologists with animals such as the American alligator. She and other interns handle smaller animals like the opossum siblings on their own.

An intern at the zoo holds a tiny alligator while another person pets its head. — Undergraduate student and zoo intern Summit St. John holds a baby alligator in the reptile room.

A zoo intern feeds a deer in its forest-like enclosure. The deer eagerly eats from her hand. — Summit St. John hand-feeds a deer in its habitat.

A closeup of a small tortoise on the ground outside at the zoo while a zoo intern pets its shell from behind. — Summit St. John interacts with a tortoise at Bear Hollow Zoo.

At the zoo, an otter on one side of a metal fence holds its paws up to touch the hands of a young woman crouched on the other side of the fence. — Bear Hollow Zoo director Kelly Garrison works with one of the zoo’s otters.

A large, black bear at the zoo is strapped into a CT scanner to be x-rayed while a veterinary technician holds his side. — Licensed Veterinary Technician Nia Chau preps D.J. the black bear for a CT Scan at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine has supported the zoo’s animal health since its founding, providing care for animals like Ginger the deer and Cypress the beaver. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital handles everything from checkups to treating issues like toothaches. “We have a great partnership with the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital,” Garrison said. “It’s a really cool opportunity for not only the animals of the zoo, but also the vet students.”

Students in the College of Veterinary Medicine participate in various rotations in the exotic animals division’s veterinary services. Under the guidance of professor Joerg Mayer, fourth-year students spend three weeks on the clinic floor.

“Now is the time to potentially transition their book smarts to something tangible in the field,” Mayer said. “They know the physiology, and they know the anatomy. If they want to become a veterinarian, this gives the students hands-on experience for what they’re going to be spending the next 35 years of their lives doing.”

A young woman in a grey t-shirt and dark shorts carries a large beaver through the halls of a veterinary hospital while the veterinarians watch from the sidelines. — Kelly Garrison carries a beaver to the exam table in the zoological medicine exam room.

Several veterinary technicians examine a large beaver that is on a table. The beaver's body and head are hidden by a blanket but its feet and tail poke out of the end. — From left, veterinary technician Laura Vickers, zoological medicine professor Joerg Mayer and veterinary technician Nia Chau examine a beaver in the zoological medicine exam room.

A bear lays down outside in a zoo enclosure. He is surrounded by veterinary technicians and zoo employees who are helping him through a medical examination. — Zoo and medical staff monitor D.J. the black bear while he is under anesthesia during his medical exam.

A group of many veterinarians and medical professionals surround a large, unconscious bear on an operating table. — The medical team performs dental surgery on D.J. the black bear at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

A closeup of a veterinary student studying a very small alligator while holding it still with one hand. — Alison Jeffrey, College of Veterinary Medicine graduate assistant resident, completes an annual exam on an alligator from Bear Hollow Zoo at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Reaching Visitors

Public relations students in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication have also recently taken part in the zoo fun. For the fall 2024 semester, David Clementson, an associate professor in the college’s advertising and public relations department, has structured his capstone course around the Bear Hollow Zoo. In the semester-long program, students work together to integrate new advertising techniques for the zoo.

“The students are coming up with all kinds of great strategies and deliverables that they’ll be presenting to the client,” Clementson said.

A professor with a serious expression stands at the front of a classroom and teaches a college class. The students can be seen from the back and seem to be intently listening to the lecture. — David Clementson speaks to his public relations class about their Bear Hollow Zoo projects.

A woman in dark clothing stands on a wooden bridge above an otter's zoo enclosure and takes a photo with her phone. A dark, sleek otter walks across the grass in the enclosure. — Undergraduate public relations student Olivia Williams uses her phone to capture video of an otter in its habitat for her Bear Hollow Zoo project.

Two students in casual clothing have their phones out as they interview an older man in casual clothing. They are standing in front of a sign that reads "memorial park". — Undergraduate students Reese Mitchell and Cheylan Baker conduct an interview with a Bear Hollow Zoo visitor for their public relations project.

Students conduct surveys with members of the community to better understand how the zoo can reach visitors, and they examine previous ads used to promote the zoo. In completing the finalized advertising recommendations, the students have substantial work to add to their professional portfolios and indispensable knowledge of the public relations industry.

“I’ve never had a public relations internship. It’s always been marketing based,” said Reese Mitchell, a fourth-year student in Clementson’s capstone course. “This is really important to me because it lets me see if this is something I might want to continue to do when I graduate.”

Working with the zoo and interacting with the community has allowed the students to have a better understanding of the zoo’s impact.

A woman in a grey t-shirt that reads "bear hollow zoo" holds a golden and white owl on her arm as she teaches children at the zoo. — Megan Hong introduces Zephyr the barn owl to young visitors.

A zoo employee in a green shirt and dark pants gives a lecture to a classroom. Only one student is visible. — Kelly Garrison speaks to a public relations class about the zoo.

A zoo intern in a pink t-shirt holds a green and yellow tortoise as she crouches on the ground. She is surrounded by small children who are fascinated by the turtle. — Animal care intern MC Toth holds a tortoise for young visitors at Bear Hollow Zoo.

“Almost everyone we’ve heard from has children,” said Cheylan Baker, another student in the course. “They always talk about how much their kids love it here and how it makes them super excited. It seems like a place for community.”

This is evident with events like Bear Holloween, a time for children to put on their Halloween costumes and visit the animals. During one night in October, the zoo takes part in the holiday festivities with a variety of Halloween decorations, photo opportunities and candy.

Events like Bear Holloween serve as a reminder of the importance of the zoo for members of the community. The ability to connect with nature is increasingly valuable to many families across Georgia.

“It is so important to be able to have the exposure to animals for our kids and for us as well,” said Michelle Jones, a mother in attendance at Bear Holloween with her daughter and husband. “We’re glad that she can learn about nature and be able to observe the animals and habitats.”

The Bear Hollow Zoo remains a vital fixture for the Athens and UGA community, providing education and opportunities for indispensable experiences to students in colleges around the university.

Story by Averi Caldwell, Photos by Dorothy Kozlowski

A closeup of a dark alligator swimming through green water in its zoo enclosure. — Mazie the alligator swims around her habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.

Three young zoo employees in casual clothing laugh and talk outside. There is a large and bright animal-themed mural behind them. — Kelly Garrison talks with animal care interns Katarina Glassman and Summit St. John.

Two large brown and white owls stare at the camera from high perches in their zoo enclosure. — Great horned owls look around their habitat at Bear Hollow Zoo.