A zoo spa day? Watch massive grizzly bear get pampered with a manicure in Colorado
A grizzly bear enjoyed a nice spa day at a Colorado zoo where he was pampered with a manicure to trim down his long, iconic nails.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs shared a video to Instagram showing the whole process, including rewarding the powerful predator with treats for his good behavior.
“Did you know that Emmett participates in his own nail care?” a caption on the Jan. 28 video says. The video shows a zoo keeper raising what looks like a glass panel covering the checkered fence of the bears’ enclosure so the bear can slip his nails through the openings.
“Emmett is trained to present his nails through a training panel,” the caption says. “Keepers hold the electric nail file behind a nail and wait for him to make contact. Allowing Emmett to initiate contact gives him the opportunity to express when he feels ready or when he wants to stop.”
The video shows the team keeping him happy with a steady supply of snacks.
“Emmett doesn’t mind getting his nails filed, especially when he gets snacks!” the caption says. “Keepers keep the sessions short and typically focus on one foot at a time. Emmett has the option to leave at any point in the session. However, he typically likes to stay to get his ‘manicure’ (and snacks)!”
Several dog owners and even professional dog groomers commented on the video wishing their dogs and clients would behave as well as the grizzly for nail trims.
“Now if only my dogs would obey like this,” one person said.
“Y’all have him trained for nail care better than most dogs,” another person said.
“Wow! Grooming salon here,” someone chimed in. “We’ll take him over a chihuahua nail trim every time!”
One person suggested the keepers “should give him acrylics” on his long nails.
The zoo’s other grizzly bear Digger doesn’t usually have to get his nails trimmed, opting instead to maintain his nails the natural way from which he got his name, the zoo said.
“What about Digger? Digger manages his nail length naturally through his love of digging in the dirt, which helps wear down his nails,” the video’s caption says.
And Emmett gets to benefit from his roommate’s efforts.
“Thanks to Digger’s efforts, Emmett enjoys napping in the cozy day beds Digger makes,” the zoo said in a caption posted with the video. “Work smarter, not harder!”
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM with the headline "A zoo spa day? Watch massive grizzly bear get pampered with a manicure in Colorado."
