Carlsbad's Maggie the Bear turns 20

Photos and story by Adrian Hedden

Maggie the Bear eats her birthday present, Jan. 18, 2025 at Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in Carlsbad.

Maggie's massive jaws chomped anxiously into her birthday present, eagerly gobbling up the mixture of fruits and nuts as the children watched from a safe distance at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.

The American black bear celebrated her 20th birthday, Jan. 18 at the zoo where she's lived for the past two decades.

Maggie was rescued from illegal captivity by an animal sanctuary in Missouri and sent to the Carlsbad Zoo in 2004.

Each year since, the zoo hosts a birthday party for Maggie, providing crafts and activities for local children in the visitor center before venturing out into the zoo to watch the bear open her present.

Check out more photos of Maggie's party below.

A bald eagle named Kenai calls out to visitors at Maggie the Bear's Birthday Party, Jan. 18, 2025 at Living Desert Zoo.

Ollie Maxwell, 4, dons a homemade bear mask for Maggie the Bear's birthday, Jan. 18, 2025 at Living Desert Zoo.

Alexa Chavez decorates a paper bear mask for Maggie the Bear's birthday, Jan. 18, 2025 at Living Desert Zoo.