Astra arrives

 

Astra at Como Zoo

Visitors to Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota can now see four polar bears cavorting, swimming, wrestling, wandering and sleeping, with the arrival of young Astra, who just came from the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington.

Astra makes herself at home at Como in the big pool. 

Kulu, on my most recent visit in July.

Five year old female Astra is being paired with six year old male Kulu, so there is quite a bit of playing and splashing going on.

I sent my St. Paul daughter Corinna to take some photos at the Como Zoo and tell me about how things are going between Astra and Kulu. Most of these are her photos.

Kulu and Astra get acquainted

 Kulu and Astra have the right hand side of the habitat, which has the deeper pool, and the older pair Nan and Neil have the other side with the big meadow and shallower pool. The keepers will slowly introduce Astra to the older bears.

Old folks Nan and Neil on the left hand side enclosure.

Kulu and Astra are enjoying getting to know each other, poolside.

                                             Yes, Kulu really likes Astra.

The keepers say that Kulu and Astra get along well, which bodes well for future cubs from the pair. 

Astra gathering her stuff

All mine!

Astra has a lot of fun with this simple plastic bottle.

Astra with her water toys. She loves that bottle, but they also have a giant pickle. And she also enjoys the baby pools as toys.

 

Astra likes to throw toys into the water, and play with them all at once.

Twin sisters in 2021 in the Detroit Zoo,
Astra in back, Laerke close. There is a ditch between them

Astra was born as a twin in the Detroit Zoo but grew up as a single cub because her sister was failing shortly after birth and had to have special care by the keepers. Their parents are Suka, daughter of Crystal and the late Marty, and Nuka. After several years of seeing each other across a divide, the twins, Astra and Laerke, were finally reunited. 

They were sent together to the Point Defiance Zoo in the spring of 2023, where the girls had a lot of fun playing together and making up for lost time. Laerke is quite a bit smaller than her sister, probably because of medication used to save her life when she was a young cub. She won't mind being alone, since she is quite people oriented, as a hand raised cub. She did have a young grizzly bear cub companion, Jebbie, for quite awhile in the Detroit Zoo, until he grew t00 strong for her. 

Jebbie and Laerke in Detroit

Laerke was happy when her twin sister joined her in Detroit, giving their parents Nuka and Suka the other side of the habitat. The twosome made the move to Tacoma where they lived for a year and a half.

Then last month, Astra was moved to the Como Zoo, while Laerke stayed in Tacoma, at least for now.

On one of the days my daughter visited, Kulu mostly stayed
on shore while Astra ran all about, and swam in the pool. 

 

Kulu yawns.

Here Kulu retrieves a fish. 

A nice fish snack for Kulu

Miss Astra comes along and wants some fish, and
 Kulu lets her have his fish. He is a real gentleman. 

Kulu is the son of Aurora and Lee of the Columbus Zoo. He was born as a single cub on November 28, 2019. His grandparents on his mother's side are Crystal of the Toledo Zoo and the late Marty. His father Lee is the son of Yukon and a different Aurora, who was born in Rochester NY. Kulu's grandfather Yukon was born in the Cincinnati Zoo. 

Kulu's mother Aurora and Astra's mother Suka are sisters, so they are first cousins. But with the small number of polar bears in the US, there is little other choice. Almost all the younger bears are from the same family.

You can tell Astra from Kulu in that Kulu is much larger
 and has shorter fur. Astra is little and is quite fluffy. 

I hope to visit the four bears at Como soon. It's great to see the different generations sharing and interacting. 

Kulu and the old folks home

 

Kulu on the left, Nan says hello on the right.

Young Kulu

The largest of three bears at the Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota, young Kulu, is 5 1/2 years old and weighs 1300 pounds. As polar bear keeper Allison says, he is now a young adult, with hormones surging through his body. His companions are up there in years. Nan, at 30, is the oldest polar bear in a US zoo. Neil, at 29, is the oldest male polar bear in the world.

Nan on rock, Neil center, and Kulu, right

It is like an old folks home that has had a teenager move in, as Allison says. While having a youngster around helps keep the oldsters on their toes, Kulu is learning adult bear behavior from Nan and Neil.

Kulu on rock, Nan below

Kulu was born as a single cub in the Columbus Zoo to Aurora and Lee on November 28, 2019.

Baby Kulu in Columbus with mom Aurora

Previously, Aurora had given birth to Nora and twins Nuniq and Neva. This is a first offspring for Lee. Aurora, daughter of Crystal and Marty, was born in the Toledo Zoo along with her twin sister Anana, who passed away several years ago. Lee is the son of another Aurora (born in Salt Lake City), and Yukon, who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Kulu and his mom Aurora in Columbus

When baby Kulu reached a certain age, Aunt Anana was introduced and quickly became Kulu's favorite playmate, while mother Aurora took naps or watched. 

Kulu in center, with mom Aurora and Aunt Anana in Columbus

Kulu plays with his Auntie Anana in Columbus

In the fall of 2021, Kulu moved to Como Zoo, where Neil and Nan were waiting. They easily took over the role of doting adoptive grandparents, and Kulu especially enjoyed playing in the pool with Neil.

Neil and Kulu spar in the Como pool - in 2022.

Now that Neil is a few years older and slowing down, Kulu plays a lot more with Nan, who is half his size at 650 pounds, but she knows how to keep him in line. 

In 2025, Kulu begs Neil to come into the pool. But it is too hard
 for Neil to get in and out because of his arthritis, so he declines.

Nan is still the boss. After all, Kulu grew up being bossed around by the ladies, his mom Aurora and his Aunt Anana. 

Kulu and Nan

I visited a few months ago, and the three bears enjoyed frolicking in the wildflower meadow, playing games and even engaged in a bit of chasing. 

Nan, Kulu and Neil in the wildflowers  this summer

Old Neil rarely goes into the water these days, but that doesn't stop Kulu from begging the old guy to join him in the pool. 

Kulu and Nan have a little battle in the wildflowers

Nan doesn't mind being a swim buddy for Kulu, although there isn't a lot of playing. She does her best, though.

Kulu gives Nan a little "kiss" in the Como pool. 

Or maybe a little bite for Nan.

Kulu's older companions are family too. While wildborn Nan is unrelated, she did live for many years in the Toledo Zoo with Kulu's grandparents Crystal and Marty. Neil is brother of the late Icee, who was father of Kulu's grandfather Yukon who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo, so Neil is Kulu's great great uncle. 

Kulu on the left, Great Great Uncle Neil on the right.

Winter is coming in a few months and there will be plenty of snow and cold at Como Zoo. Kulu will celebrate his 6th birthday. Nan will be 31, and Neil will be 30. Yes, things will change as Nan and Neil get older, and someday will pass on, but for now, it is a great situation for a young polar bear boy. 

A lovely situation,
 Nan, Kulu and Neil all living happily together at Como Zoo.

Kulu is a busy boy, always up to something.

Queen Nan is the oldest polar bear in the USA

Nan (and friend) in the Toledo Zoo, 2014

 Nanuyaak is her official name, but we all just call her Nan. At age 30, Nan is the oldest polar bear in the US zoo system. She started off life in the wilds of Alaska, and was rescued as an orphan on May 1, 1995, spending a few days in the Alaska Zoo.

Nan in Como Zoo - just weeks ago.

The little orphan girl Nan lived and grew up for six years in the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington. In 1996 two more orphans, from Churchill in Canada, arrived in Tacoma. The boys Blizzard and Glacier were a year younger than Nan. I imagine that Nan, Blizzard and Glacier were playmates, since they were close in age.

Nan, Neil and young Kulu at Como Zoo

Point Defiance has been home to a good number of polar bears over the years. Blizzard and Glacier remained at Point Defiance until they died, Glacier in 2015, and Blizzard in 2023. 

Nan moved in 2001 to Toledo to join young Crystal at the brand new Arctic Encounter. Crystal had arrived from Belgium the year before. A young male named Marty had arrived in Toledo from Brookfield Zoo in 1999. Marty was two years younger than Nan. This trio of young bears started a tradition of having polar bear cubs in Toledo. 

Marty and Nan in Toledo 2014

In the fall of 2006, both lady bears gave birth to Marty's cubs. Nan had a son Nikita born November 21, and Crystal gave birth to twin daughters, Aurora and Anana, on November 25. 

Nan and Marty in Toledo 2014

Things were fine while the moms were in their maternity dens, but when the cubs were old enough to make their debuts, things got crowded, with rotating the two young families, and also Marty, through the one public enclosure. They do have separate enclosures in the back, but it was thought best that Marty should leave for awhile, moving to Pittsburgh for over a year. Then in a swap at the end of 2008 Marty returned to Toledo, and twins Aurora and Anana moved to Pittsburgh, where they stayed for a year until their brand new home in Columbus was ready. 

Nikita stayed in Toledo until he was a little over three years old, then moved to the Kansas City Zoo. Later he moved to the North Carolina Zoo, and is now in Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City with Crystal's granddaughter Neva.

While Marty and Crystal went on to have more cubs, Nikita was Nan's only offspring.

Nan on rock, and her friend Crystal, in Toledo - 2015. 

Nan stayed in Toledo until 2017, when she moved to Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, to be companion to Marty's brother Hudson. In 2021, Nan moved to Como Zoo in St. Paul, where old Neil was alone after the death of his twin brother Buzz in August of 2020.

Kulu, Nan and Neil in the center area at Como Zoo 2022.

Nan has settled in well at Como, and it has done Neil a world of good to have her as a companion. 

Neil and Nan enjoy lettuce and snacks - 2022 at Como Zoo.

Nan on the left, and Neil - July 2025

Neil, Nan and Kulu at Como Zoo in 2022.

In 2022, young Kulu arrived from Columbus. Kulu was two years old, the son of Crystal's daughter Aurora. It was likw the story of "The Three Bears," and everything was just right for Grandpa Neil, Grandma Nan and young Kulu. 

Nan and Kulu in 2022 at Como Zoo

Nan watches as Kulu and Neil play in the water in 2022

In those days, Neil played with Kulu quite a bit then, but has slowed down in the past couple of years, and now Nan is the primary playmate for Kulu.

Kulu tries to boss Nan. It doesn't work. Nan is in charge.

This year the Como Zoo planted a field of wildflowers in one of the enclosures, to make a gorgeous natural habitat for the polar bears, and they love it. 

Again, Kulu tries to challenge Nan, in the wildflowers.
 She doesn't back down and Kulu runs away.

The happy bear family in the wildflowers at Como. 

Currently, the oldest polar bear in a zoo worldwide is Antonia, who is a dwarf polar bear, something unique in all the world. Antonia is 35 years old and lives in Gelsenkirchen ZOOM in Germany. She was born in Karlsruhe of normal sized parents. 

Antonia of Gelsenkirchen ZOOM is 35 years of age.

Nan is quite active, and has no problem climbing up the polar bear shaped Pride Rock, chasing young Kulu when he gets out of line, and roaming in the meadow. Sometimes she swims with Kulu too.

Kulu and Nan have a swim.

And swim some more.

30 year old Nan on Pride Rock at Como Zoo.

As for the other older bears in the US, Nan's companion Neil is the oldest male in the US and actually in the world, born December 9, 1995, in Louisville, and at 29 years old, is the same age as wildborn female Chinook in San Diego (birthday unknown). Female Snowflake of the Pittsburgh Zoo is a few weeks older than Neil at 29. Snowflake was born November 28, 1995, in Buffalo.

Male Kiska of ABQ Biopark, is 28 years old. He and his late twin brother Koluk were born November 19, 1996, in Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City.  Anoki of the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY was born November 20, 1996 so is 28 years old, one day younger than Kiska.

Nan and Neil

Neil and Nan, happy in their senior citizens home at Como,