Mother Olinka at rest now

                                                        Olinka and one of her cubs 

Olinka was a patient mother, and that quality served her well in raising eight cubs. 

Sizzel and Todz, with mother Olinka

At age 28, which is fairly senior age for a lady polar bear, she was diagnosed with an advanced liver tumor, and possibly kidney involvement, while under anesthetic on Tuesday, February 9, and in light of how unwell she had been lately, it was decided to not wake her.

She had lived at Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam since 2010, where she lived with Eric, father of all her cubs, until his death in 2015. 

Lunchtime in Rotterdam

Olinka was born November 21, 1992 in Cologne, Germany, the daughter of Olga and an American born male named Omaha.

I remember the first polar bears I ever saw, when I used to take my kids to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, many times in 1980-83. At that time, Olaf and Olga had had a cub, named Omaha, born just after my son was born. Omaha grew up and was sent off to Europe. That cub was Olinka's father. Olinka was the only cub he fathered.

Young Olinka and her mother Olga moved to Vienna, where they met Eric. He would father two cubs with Olga, and eight with Olinka.

 There in Vienna, Olinka gave birth to twins Lloyd and Nika in 2000. In 2001, Olinka's mother Olga gave birth to Felix and Nord, so to make room in Vienna, in early 2002, Nika moved to Karlsruhe, and Olinka and young Lloyd moved to Bremerhaven, where Lloyd still lives.

Then back to Vienna, where Lara was born in 2004. Both Olinka and young Lara moved to Gelsenkirchen in 2005,  where they stayed for a year. Then back to Vienna again, leaving Lara in Gelsenkirchen.  Twins Arktos and Nanuq were born in 2007 in Vienna. Then in 2010 Olinka made her final move to Rotterdam, where she gave birth to Vicks at the end of the year. In 2014, Olinka had twins Sizzel and Todz. Shortly afterwards, Eric passed away.

Seven of her eight cubs are alive and well, and have produced eight grandchildren for Olinka.

Lloyd lives in Bremerhaven, and is the father of Lale, Lili, Anna and Elsa. Nika passed away last year in Karlsruhe. Lara still lives in Gelsenkirchen and is the mother of daughter Nanook. Arktos lives in Highlands Wildlife Park and is the father of Wee Hamish. Nanuq lives in Nuremberg. Vicks lives in Mulhouse France and is the father of daughter Nanuq and a brand new cub. Sizzel lives in Rostock, and Todz lives in LeVigen France.

Russian male Wolodja has lived in Rotterdam for the past few years, and now is the only polar bear there. 

Olinka keeping an eye on Todz and Sizzel

Twins Todz and Sizzel, with mom Olinka

Olinka and daughter Sizzel

Olinka and cub

Olinka was a patient mother, here with Sizzel and Todz

It's sad to think that Olinka is gone. She was a loving, attentive mother, happy to play with her cubs, and very affectionate. A beautiful lady. She leaves a lasting legacy in her children and grandchildren.

 There are only a few polar bears of the Olaf and Olga line left in the U.S., in spite of their having seven children. I am happy to know so many of their bloodline lives on in Olinka's cubs all over Europe.

Olinka has now strolled into history. Rest in Peace, sweet lady.

Lady Patches has left us

Lady Patches hat uns verlassen

Patches, photos taken in Erie Zoo

 Just weeks short of her 27^th birthday (she was born November 29, 1987), Patches lost her short battle with suspected lung cancer on Sunday. She had been lethargic and not eating in the past few weeks.

Nur wenige Wochen Kurz vor ihrem 27. Geburtstag, verlor Patches ihren kurzen Kampf gegen Lungenkrebs am Sonntag. Sie war lethargisch und hatte in den letzten Wochen kaum etwas gefressen.

 Patches goes for a fishy ice ring
 in her pool at the Erie Zoo

Patches had moved just a year ago from a small old-fashioned enclosure at the Erie Zoo to a spacious new polar bear enclosure – Rocky Coast - at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.

Gur vor einem Jahr wurde Patches von einer kleinen altmodischen Gehegeanlage am Erie Zoo in eine geräumigen neuen Eisbärenanlage im North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro verlegt.

Patches was a curious, friendly bear

Patches had come to the Erie Zoo December 11, 2007 from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, where she had lived with her twin sister Bam Bam (officially called Fanny, but everyone calls her Bam Bam). Patches was named for the dark spot on her head when she was born.

Patches kam in den Erie Zoo am11. Dezember 2007 aus der Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, wo sie mit ihrer Zwillingsschwester Bam Bam gelebt hatte (offiziel genannt Fanny, aber jeder nannte sie hier Bam Bam). Patches bekam ihren Namen von dem dunklen Fleck auf dem Kopf bei der Geburt.

Patches' sister Bam Bam
is still at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha,
 which has a very large polar bear habitat with a huge pool.

Patches

She was 20 at the time she moved to Erie Zoo, and had lived her entire life with her sister at the zoo in Omaha.

Sie war 20 Jahre zu der Zeit zog sie nach Erie Zoo, und hatte ihr ganzes Leben hier mit ihrer Schwester in dem Zoo in Omaha gelebt.

Patches

At the Erie Zoo, she lived in an antiquated, cramped enclosure with a tiny pool. Her caring keepers tried to keep her entertained with enrichment activities and treats. She lived with three different males in her years in Erie, but each died an early and tragic death.

Am Erie Zoo lebte sie in einer veralteten, engen Gehege mit einem winzigen Pool. Fürsorgliche Pfleger versuchten sie mit Aktivitäten zur Anreicherung und Leckereien zuunterhalten und zu beschäftigen. Sie lebte mit drei verschiedenen männlichen Eisbären in ihren Zeit im Erie Zoo, aber alle drei Eisbären starben einen frühen undtragischen Tod.

Patches rests on the ledge over her tiny pool at the Erie Zoo

After she moved to Asheboro, she enjoyed playing with her many new toys, and swimming in a large pool. She had always been a people watcher, and she continued that in Asheboro, making many new friends in the beautiful new polar bear area. Last month the second new area opened, and Patches was there to entertain the Governor, and supervise the refreshment table. She had always been playful, friendly, and easy to work with.

Nachdem sie nach Asheboro verlegt wurde, genoss sie das Spiel mit den vielen neuen Spielsachen und das Schwimmen in einem großen Pool. Sie hatte schon immerviel Spass daran die Menschen zu beobachten, und sie tat dies auch in Asheboro, sie fand viele neue Freunde in der schönen neuen Eisbären-Anlage. Letzten Monat wurde der zweite neue Bereich eröffnet und Patches unterhalten auch den Gouverneur, und überwachte das Erfrischung Buffet. Sie war immer sehr verspielt, freundlich und es war einfach mit ihr zu arbeiten.

Patches has found a twig

Patches had twice given birth to cubs that did not survive. She had been all alone for several years before she moved to North Carolina.

Patches brachte zweimal Jungtiere zur Welt, die aber nicht überlebt habent. Sie war lange Zeit allein mit sich bis sie nach North Carolina verlegt wurde.

Patches stretching

Now sister Bam Bam is the only surviving bear of the seven cubs raised by the famous breeding pair Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo.

Jetzt ist Schwester Bam Bam die einzige überlebende Bärin der sieben Jungtiere von dem berühmten Zuchtpaar Olaf und Olga des Omaha Zoo.

She was named Patches for the dark spot
 on her head when she was born

Wistful

Patches was a clown,
always making funny poses and funny faces

The North Carolina Zoo had just welcomed Anana from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, who will be living there while her habitat is being renovated, so there is still currently a polar bear at the zoo.

Der North Carolina Zoo nahm gerade Anana aus dem Lincoln Park Zoo auf, während die Eisbärenanlage dort renoviert wird, so dass es immer noch einen Eisbären im Zoo Asheboro gibt.

Goodbye to Patches. You will be dearly missed

Bam Bam keeps her cool

Pretty Bam Bam

We visited Bam Bam at the World Famous Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in the middle of a brutal heat wave. She has plenty of energy, even in 100 degree heat, but then she does spend a lot of her time in the pool.

Bam Bam loves her pool

Bam Bam loves to interact with her fans

Born in the Henry Doorly Zoo on November 29, 1987. twin sisters Bam Bam and Patches were the last cubs of the prolific and popular Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo. In fact, I think they were the last cubs born at the zoo. During the seventies and eighties, Olaf and Olga had many cubs in the Omaha Zoo, eleven of which lived.

Patches and Bam Bam were together at the Omaha Zoo until Patches left for the Erie Zoo in December of 2007. Patches was moved to Erie as part of a trade, and a male bear was supposed to come to the Omaha Zoo, but I don't think that actually happened. I am pretty sure that Bam Bam has been alone since her sister left. She seems to be getting along just fine on her own, and loves to interact with the visitors. Alan Host, Senior Supervisor of Cats and Bears, said there are no plans to get another polar bear at this time.

24 year old Bam Bam weighs in about about 550 pounds.

Her official book name is Fanny, but she got the name Bam Bam because when she was younger she like to bang on the metal doors and make a racket to be let in or out. The keepers successfully worked with Bam Bam over the last few years to cut back on this noisy behavior, and while she doesn't do it anymore, she has kept the name.

Bam Bam has a heart shaped nose

Feeding time for the Omaha bears is at 11 a.m.. Before the food comes, Bam Bam is happy to swim and play with all her fans. She has a lovely 30,000 gallon pool and a waterfall in the Durham Family Bear Canyon, which opened in 1989 at a cost of $1.4 million. 

Bam Bam dives for her lunch

Her friends can view her from above, or wander down a trail to see her at eye level. A three level elevator can also make it easier for visitors to access the upper and lower levels of Bear Canyon.

She loves her celery

A yummy piece of fruit

Bam Bam stalks a floating melon

She seems to love cantaloupe melons, and. She also got various fruits and celery during feeding time, and had lots of fun swimming around and gathering her snacks, which are thrown by a keeper from above. She gets training three or more times a week, and her favorite training food is some delicious crunchy celery! Her favorite toy at the moment is a big red ball.

My mother Carol and Bam Bam study each other. This is the first time
 Carol had ever seen a polar bear in her 93 years.

I visited Bam Bam with my sister Lois, and my almost 94 year old mother, both of whom had never before seen a polar bear. My elderly mother was enthralled by the silly antics of Bam Bam, who gave her a face-to-face experience, in spite of the famous early July heat wave of 2012. Even with the incredible heat, the zoo was busy and crowded and Bam Bam was having a lot of fun.

Bam Bam is ready for an afternoon nap

Bam Bam spent the afternoon napping in her favorite spot in her enclosure, happy after an active morning and a big helping of healthy snacks.

The Henry Doorly Zoo has a roomy polar bear home with a great pool

Although the Bear Canyon is an outdoor exhibit, the Omaha Zoo has a great number of indoor, air-conditioned attractions to comfortably enjoy: the Lied Forest, gorilla house, the brand new Aquarium, the Butterfly House, the Desert Dome, the IMAX theatre and more. With the help of an $8 rental wheelchair and a big umbrella, our little group spent the whole day at the zoo. Much of this zoo is designed to be enjoyed year-round, no matter what the weather.

A shady spot on a hot day

  

Bam Bam plays in her waterfall. Goodbye.