Pizza Bear has a new home

He was found in an unusual place, starving and injured.

But a bear – made famous for his restaurant choice – is all fixed up, healthy and hibernating.

You may know him as “Pizza Bear”. If you don’t remember how he got the name, Mike Steckley will fill you in.

“I was standing behind the pizza bar…and I looked across the street and I saw what looked like a cub running down the street,” he said.

After finding his way into the kitchen of Louie’s Pizza on Tejon Stree, t: “he was already in the corner up on some shelves eating icing and oil and making himself at home,” said Steckley.

Pizza bear was captured by wildlife officers.

Philip Gurule was the Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer who captured the bear. “I was able to go in and dart the bear,” he said.

And until today he was at a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

But he also found his way into another place: the hearts of the customers at the pizza shop.

The folks at Louie’s Pizza weren’t sure where pizza bear would wind up, but they decided to do something for the bear so it could have a better life, wherever it wound up.

They put up donation jars to raise money for the care and feeding of pizza bear.

Steckley said, “A lot of people raised a lot of money, which was awesome.”

A full 100 pounds heavier and much healthier, Pizza Bear was taken to a new home on the south side of Pikes Peak.

Gurule said, “it feels good to bring him back out into the wild where he’s not interacting with pizza.”

Despite the lack of good Italian takeout, the people at Louie’s know he’s in a better place.

“It’s good that he’s going to be very happy, running around and hibernating,”said Steckley.

Even if he’ll no longer be able to get his favorite food.

Parks and Wildlife officers said their goal is to relocate bears like Pizza Bear far away from people so that they don’t make their way back into town.