Lucky was born in the wild in Wisconsin in January 2007.  He had a rough start in life.  People took him from his mother's den to keep as a pet.  Lucky bonded with the people, but they soon found he was too much of a handful to keep.  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said he could not be released back into the wild.  Lucky was about to be killed. 

The officials asked if the North American Bear Center could take him.  Lucky arrived here on July 6, 2007, and met Ted and Honey on July 15.  He weighed about 10 pounds.  Visitors gave him his name.