CLAY CENTER ? There are many changes going on at the Clay Center Zoo. Cissy, a 15-year-old female black bear, is the zoo’s newest addition. And there may be more residents to come.

Cissy was donated by a private citizen who wants to remain nameless and arrived just as part of the 12.5-acre expansion of the zoo and several other improvements were under way. The bear’s owner had discovered that he could not keep her because of insurance concerns.

This required a little cage shuffling. The otter was moved and the bear is now housed in the otter exhibit. Bill Callaway, utilities superintendent, said that the Public Utility Commission’s hope for the future is a mating pair of bears. A new exhibit would need to allow them a way to isolate each bear when necessary.

Cissy’s move to the zoo didn’t go exactly as planned. When zookeeper Deb Snyder went to get her, the bear went into the cage, but held the door open with one foot. She would not allow the door to be shut with any amount of coaxing and eventually retreated back to her pen.

Snyder gave up that day, but returned later with strawberries. It turns out Cissy is quite fond of strawberries and she went into the cage with no fuss.

Peanut butter is also a favorite of Cissy’s. Kim Clark, a full-time park employee, said that when Cissy is fed something wonderful, she makes a noise that Star Wars fans will recognize as sounding like a “Wookie.”

Snyder borrowed a cage to transport the bear from Robert Smith, of rural Longford. When she picked up the cage, Smith mentioned that he would be willing to donate a black leopard and a tiger to the Clay Center Zoo from his late father’s collection.

PU Commission Chairman Mike Floersch, Don Button and Gary Griffiths, are considering the cost of building a facility to house these animals.

“We don’t have the type of exhibit that is best for those animals at present,” Callaway said. “Security and safety are a big issue with housing large cats.”

The commission has not yet made a decision.

Callaway said the zoo is not tax-supported, but is owned and operated through the PUC budget.