Farewell to Zero

Zero

We have lost a legendary bear. Zero, who had just turned 26 years old in December, was suffering from lymphoma, and was released from his pain on January 10. His health and energy had been declining for several weeks.

Zero spent a lot of time in the pool, in front of the viewing window

 Zero had lived at the Rocky Coast at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York, with the shy Aurora, a 26 year old lady bear. Aurora has had cubs, but they were not with Zero.

Zero loved to sit under the waterfalls

 

Under the waterfall again

Zero loved his pool 

Zero swimming and swimming

 Zero was known for his big personality and playful nature. He loved to interact with his visitors, splash around with his toys, swim laps in front of the viewing window, and take naps outside so everyone could watch him. He also loved sitting under the pounding waterfalls of the Rocky Coasts.

Zero was always doing something amusing

In front of the viewing window

Zero had many fans. He was also fun to watch

Aurora, on the other had, is happy to spend her time inside unless the keepers put out some food so it is a rare opportunity to see her. Zero was the big attraction at the Rocky Coast.

Zero had lots of toys, but the big blue barrel was a favorite

Roll out the barrel

A balancing act

Playing to the crowd

Clever Zero

 Zero, who was born to Mishka (sister of Patches and Bam Bam) in the Milwaukee Zoo on December 14, 1989, gained worldwide fame for his adventure when, while playing with a toy, he fell into a safety net in an 18 foot deep moat in his enclosure in the Milwaukee County Zoo in October of 2008. He stayed down in the moat for 18 days this time, and garnered worldwide attention, as many sent in suggestions as to how to lure him out of the moat. There were daily news stories on Zero and his status. Zero had done the same thing some years earlier, when he took a week to climb the stairs out of the moat.

Snow Lilly walks along above the moat
 at the Milwaukee County Zoo that Zero refused to leave.

Zero

 This time, even though zookeepers had given him half rations of food in the hopes of luring him out because of hunger, Zero showed no interest in leaving the moat, the zookeepers finally had to anesthetize him and lift him out with a crane.

Zero shaking off the water

Zero, who was named Zero because of the outside temperature on the day he was born, moved to the Seneca Park Zoo in January of 2010, after four years of living with Snow Lilly in Milwaukee and producing no cubs. Snow Lilly had kind of given Zero the cold shoulder, and there was really no romance there. It was hoped that Aurora in the Seneca Park Zoo would find Zero more attractive, and produce cubs, but that did not happen. In 2012, Zero and Aurora were part of a groundbreaking Artificial Insemination experiment, but that did not produce cubs either.

Zero floating by the viewing window

Zero was part of the Olaf and Olga family, whose line is dying out in this country. Olaf and Olga, Mishka's parents, raised seven cubs at the Omaha Zoo (only Bam Bam still survives), and have many descendants in Europe. Zero's uncle Omaha was the father of Olink of Rotterdam, Netherlands, who has eight cubs. In the USA, Zero's uncle Shep was the grandfather of Berlin of the Kansas City Zoo (no cubs). Zero was also the uncle of Berit of the Cincinnati Zoo (no cubs).

Farewell to a well loved bear. We will miss you, Zero.

Happy Fifth Birthday, Miss Qannik

Qannik's birthday cake

The Louisville Zoo put together a festive party on January 9 to celebrate the fifth birthday of Qannik, a polar bear girl who was rescued from the wilds of Alaska as a tiny cub. She spent some time recovering at the Alaska Zoo, and then was flown to the Louisville Zoo by UPS in late June of 2011.

Der Louisville Zoo arrangierte eine festliche Party am 9. Januar, um den fünften Geburtstag von Qannik zu feiern, ein Eisbär Mädchen, welches aus der Wildnis von Alaska als winziges Jungtier gerettet wurde. Sie verbrachte einige Zeit zur Erholung im Alaska Zoo, und wurde Ende Juni 2011 zum Louisville Zoo durch UPS geflogen.

Little Qannik soon after she arrived in Louisville

She weighed in at only 15 pounds at the age of 4 months at the time of her rescue. She now weighs around 530 pounds and is happy and healthy. 

Sie wog nur 15 Pfund im alter von 4 Monaten zum Zeitpunkt als man sie damals fand. Sie wiegt jetzt etwa 530 Pfund und ist glücklich und gesund.

Keepers arrange a delicious surprise.

A colorful party scene at Glacier Run

 Heitzman's, a local bakery, had donated a peanut butter cake for Qannik, and keepers had made frozen cubes from puppy formula. Qannik also had colorful frozen buckets containing fish and peanut butter to play with, and to eat, along with a few leaves of lettuce.

Heitzman ist eine lokale Bäckerei ,und diese hatte einen Erdnussbutter Kuchen für Qannik gespendet und die Tierpfleger hatten gefrorene Eiswürfel aus Welpenfutter hergestellt. Qannik hatte auch bunte gefrorene Eimer bekommen, die voll mit Fisch und Erdnussbutter waren, um mit zu spielen und zu fressen, zusammen mit ein paar Blättern von Salat.

The peanut butter cake donated by Heitzman's

Birthday greetings

Qannik fans watch the birthday girl

It was a warm morning, about 55 degrees, and a large crowd gathered to sing Happy Birthday to the playful little bear as she dove into the special cake.

Es war ein warmer Morgen, etwa 55 Grad Farenheit und eine recht große Menschenmenge versammelt sich, um alles Gute zum Geburtstag für den spielerischen kleinen Bären zu singen, als sie dann begann in ihren Geburtstagskuchen einzutauchen.

Qannik enters the birthday scene

Yummy cake

  She ate most of the cake, gobbled up the frozen chunks of puppy formula, and then went to work on the ice bombes, with layers of colored kool-aid and fish and peanut butter.

Sie fraß das meisten von dem Kuchen, verschlang die gefrorenen Stücke von Welpenfutter und ging dann daran die Eisbomben zu bearbeiten, mit Schichten von farbigen Kool-Aid und Fisch und Erdnussbutter.

Qannik eats most of the cake within a few minutes

Qannik scarfs down a chunk of frozen puppy formula

How do I get the fish out of this frozen blob?

Frozen treats

"I smell fish and peanut butter"

She would pick up a chunk and send it crashing down on the rocks to break it open.

Sie holte sich ein Stück heraus und schickte es zum Absturz auf den Felsen, um es dann aufzubrechen.

Success! Broken chuncks of ice treats

So many birthday treats!

Will it float?

   

"I love my birthday presents"

Later she threw the chunks into her pool, and dove in after them. She tried to hide the chunks in her favorite hiding holes in the rocks, only to have them float to the surface. It was a very entertaining game for Qannik.

Später warf sie Stücke davon in ihren Pool, und tauchte nach ihnen. Sie versuchte, die Stücke in ihrem Lieblings-Versteck mit Löchern in den Felsen zu verstecken, nurdass sie immer wieder an die Oberfläche schwammen. Es war ein sehr unterhaltsames Spiel für Qannik.

Diving for ice treats, a new game

So much fun

We may see this as a fun party, but these activities are also enrichment for Qannik, and she learns through play. It also makes life at Glacier Run very interesting, so Qannik does not get bored.

Wir können dies als eine lustige Party betrachten, aber diese Aktivitäten sind auch für Qannik eine Bereicherung, und sie lernt spielerisch dabei. Es macht auch das Leben am Glacier Run sehr interessant, so wird es Qannik nicht langweilen.

Qannik the party girl

Since Qannik was born in the wild, no one knows her real birthday, but the date of January 10 was chosen as a good guess, and the zoo celebrates Qannik's birthday on the Saturday closest to that date.

Da Qannik in der Wildnis geboren wurde, weiß niemand ihren richtigen Geburtstag, aber das Datum des 10. Januar wurde als eine gute Vermutung gewählt, und der Zoo feiert Qannik Geburtstag am Samstag eben zu diesem Zeitpunkt.    

Ready to break it open

A little vegetable to make Jane Anne happy

The January day felt more like spring, and the forsythia in Glacier Run was in full bloom.

Der Tag Anfang Januar 2016 fühlte sich eher wie Frühling an, und die Forsythie im Glacier Run war in voller Blüte. 

Forsythia at Glacier Run, in bloom in mid-January

The warm winter has caused 6 year old young male polar bear Siku to be even more interested in Qannik.

Der warme Winter hat dazu geführt, dass der 6-jährige junge männliche Eisbär Siku noch mehr Interesse an Qannik zeigt.

Siku with an afternoon snack

A bite to eat, and then back downstairs to Qannik

 Even though they are never together, they do live very close to each other and can see and smell each other. Once Qannik had come downstairs, Siku was reluctant to leave her vicinity. He finally was coaxed out, and had a little snack under the Christmas tree, but then retreated downstairs to be near his Qannik.

Auch wenn sie bislang nicht zusammen sind leben sie sehr nahe beieinander und können sich sehen und riechen sich auch gegenseitig. Sobald Qannik nach unten kam, war Siku sehr zögernd ihre Nähe zu verlassen. Er wurde schließlich überredet, und hatte einen kleinen Imbiss unter dem Weihnachtsbaum, aber dann zog es ihn wiedernach unten, um in der Nähe seiner Qannik sein.

Where's my cake?

Ah, a little chunk of meat.

Thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation