The bears were 6-month-old cubs when they were rescued from someone keeping them as pets.

Sadie died in February. Pal died in October.

Sadie and Pal not only found shelter at Bear Mountain, but a fan base as well.

BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK - There are no bears in the Bear Mountain Zoo.

The two longtime resident bears, siblings Sadie and Pal, died this year. Sadie died in March and Pal last month. They were around 20 years old.

Staff and visitors miss them terribly, Kerry Gallagher, director of the Trailside Museums and Zoo, the facility's official name.

But new bears won't be heading to Trailside very soon — at least not within the zoo. There are black bears living in Bear Mountain State Park, and in rural and even suburban areas throughout the Hudson Valley.

With the bear den empty,

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