Big changes for Crystal's family

Crystal in summer of 2023

The big news this week is the switcheroo of bears between the Toledo Zoo and the St. Louis Zoo. The move was announced after the fact. It seems that last Friday, February 28, was the last day that twins Kallik and Kallu were out in the public view in Toledo. The next thing we knew, the move had already taken place and the two year old boys were in St. Louis. 

Kallu and Kallik

Two year old Kallu and Kallik in the pool in Toledo.

In exchange, wildborn Kali (pronounced Cully) made the trip from the St. Louis Zoo to the Toledo Zoo, where the boys' mother Crystal was waiting for her new companion. 

Kali gets an ice treat, summer of 2016 in St. Louis.

Kali swims in St. Louis.

The Toledo Zoo is now repairing and upgrading their polar bear habitat, so no polar bears can be seen. In the meantime Kali will quarantine and then he and Crystal can be introduced to each other. I am not sure how much of this year's breeding season will remain by the time they meet.

Baby Kali at the Buffalo Zoo

Kali's story got off to a sad start. He was born in the winter of 2012-13 in the wilds of Alaska. A hunter mistook his mother, who was very large, for a male and killed her. Realizing that this was a nursing mother, the hunter retraced the mother bear's steps to the den and found young Kali. The hunter loaded the cub onto his snowmobile, and brought him to civilization. Kali lived in the Alaska Zoo for awhile, gaining weight and strength, and then moved to the Buffalo Zoo, where a young girl bear Luna needed a playmate.

Kali and Luna play together

Luna and Kali splash around.

Young Kali

 Luna's mother Anana was not a good mother, and ignored her, so she had been raised by keepers. The two young cubs, about the same age, hit it off and had a couple of years teaching each other to be bears.

Kali all grown up

Kali moved to the St. Louis Zoo, where he has been living alone ever since. He has grown to be a very large male. As property of Fish and Wildlife, he had been banned from the breeding program until about a year ago. His wild genes are valuable. So he has come to Toledo to find Crystal. If she is interested, we will see.

Crystal with Suka and Sakari in 2013

Crystal turned 26 years old this past November, which is at the far edge of breeding capability, but she is a proven breeder, having raised nine cubs, and the US has only three proven female breeders. The other two are her daughters Suka and Aurora, and they are already with mates.

The oldest polar bear to give birth, to my knowledge, was Uslada of the zoo in St. Petersburg Russia. Uslada was born in November of 1987. Just weeks after she turned 26 years old, she gave birth to her 16th cub Zabava in 2013.

Crystal nursing Sakari and Suka in 2013

If Crystal were to give birth next fall, it would be around the time she is turning 27 years old, so she would become the oldest. 

Crystal nursing Bo in 2019

Becoming a mother is exhausting for a polar bear. There are months of denning awaiting birth, and then months afterwards of not eating but having to produce milk for the cubs. Then when the cubs are old enough, the polar bear mom has to teach them important lessons through play, and guard them to keep them safe. If it is a single cub, mama is the only playmate, so that is even more demanding.

Crystal and probably mama's boy Kallu.

Crystal is the mother or grandmother of all the polar bears under the age of 10 in the US, except for Kava, a wildborn rescue female now in the Alaska Zoo. There is a problem finding suitable mates who are not closely related, and any cubs resulting from this new pair will also be offspring of Crystal, so I am not sure what we will gain, even if the cubs carry Kali's wildborn genes.

Crystal was born in Monde Sauvage Safari Parc in Aywaille, Belgium in 1998, where she had an older sister, Blanche. Crystal came to Toledo when she was about a year and a half, in the spring of 2000, just as the fine new polar bear habitat at the Arctic Encounter was opening. A young male polar bear named Marty was waiting for her. Another female bear, wildborn Nanuyaak, usually called Nan, arrived in 2001.

Aurora and Anana in Columbus in 2011

Crystal raised twin girls Aurora and Anana, born to Crystal and Marty in 2006. The girls moved to a beautiful meadow habitat at the Columbus Zoo. Aurora has become mother to Nora, twins Nuniq and Neva, and Kulu. Anana gave birth to Amelia Gray. Sadly, Anana passed away a few years ago.

Crystal and baby Siku

Next was Siku, born in 2009. Crystal did a fine job of mothering him, and in the fall of 2011 he moved to the Louisville Zoo where he lived next to but not with his grandmother Arki, who had retired from Brookfield Zoo. Siku currently lives in Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago with Talini.

Suka and Sakari in 2013

In 2012 boy and girl twins Sakari and Suka were born. Sakari now lives in the Buffalo Zoo with Luna, and Suka lives in the nearby Detroit Zoo with Nuka, who is the father of Crystal's last set of twins Kallik and Kallu, as well as Suka's twins Laerke and Astra. 

Crystal and Hope in 2016

Hope was born in 2015. She moved to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City where she played with Aurora's daughter Nora. Hope now lives in Brookfield Zoo in Chicago with Hudson, brother of Marty.

Crystal and Bo in 2019

Borealis, usually called Bo, was born in 2018 and in 2020 moved to Henry Vilas Zoo in Wisconsin. Just last year, he moved to the Louisville Zoo, where he is companion to wildborn Qannik, who has now gotten permission from Fish and Wildlife to associate with boy bears.

Marty died in late 2021. Since Crystal's daughter Suka had given birth to twins in nearby Detroit, Suka's mate Nuka was on his own, so he was brought to Toledo, where he and Crystal got along very well.

Kallu and Kallik in June of 2023.

Twin boys Kallik and Kalu were born in late 2022. Nuka had gone back to Detroit, so it was just Crystal and her cubs. She took excellent care of the babies, but probably was happy they were twins and could entertain each other while she rested and watched. She seemed tired.

Crystal raised the boys for two years. Recently she showed signs that she was getting annoyed with them, and so they were separated. Now the boys are off on a new adventure in St. Louis. 

Crystal was ready for her retirement, but now there is a new suitor who has arrived, and we will see what happens.

Yes, Crystal is 26 years old.

Birthday parties for Crystal and the cubs last November. A party on Sunday for Crystal and a party on Monday for the boys.

Nan, now the oldest polar bear in a US zoo, lives in the Como Zoo in Minnesota with Neil, the oldest male polar bear in the country, and Crystal's grandson Kulu. 

Relatives in Europe

For those wondering about Crystal's overseas relatives, her sister Blanche died last year, but her daughter Qannik still lives in Monde Sauvage. Blanche's son Nanook lives in Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark, and there he has a son Siku and a daughter Nuno, who also has twin daughters, Nivi and Anori.  Nanook's son Nanu lives in France.  

Eight polar bear cubs this season

For International Polar Bear Day, February 27, I have put together a story about this season's polar bear cubs, born in November and December of 2024.

For several months, we though there were only four cubs, the baby in Karlsruhe, and the three in Japan. Then just a few weeks ago, we learned of four more: twins in Hungary, a cub in Perm Russia, and a little girl in Brazil!

So now eight polar bear cubs in zoos have been announced this year worldwide, four singles and two sets of twins. Here, I try to give some family lineage, and how these cubs might be  related.

We only know the gender of three of the cubs, the boy in Karlsruhe, the girl in Brazil, and the girl in Perm, but further  announcements should be coming soon. So far, Nur in Brazil is the only one to make her public appearance, today, which is Polar Bear Day. None of the other cubs have made a public debut, but that also should be coming soon. And just one name so far, again, that of Nur in Brazil.

Family connections

Nuka and Kap's son is nephew of the famous late Knut, as Nuka is half sister, through their father Lars. 

The late famous Aika of Tierpark Berlin would have been great grandmother to both Lloyd's twins in Hungary and Paula's twins in Japan. Aika was mother of Lloyd's father Eric, and Paula's father Bjorn-Heinrich. 

The twins in Sosto Hungary are descendants of the famous American pair Olaf and Olga of the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, through their grandmother Olinka.

The cub in Karlsruhe is nephew of my favorite bear Raspi, through his half brother Kap, the father. Raspi is also great uncle of Shilka's cub, as Raspi is half brother of Shilka's mother Gerda.

Many of the cubs are descendants of Uslada, the famous mother of 16 cubs of St. Petersburg Russia.

Sisters and Brothers

Among the proud parents are (half) brother and sister Pim (Brazil) and Milka (Russia), now living halfway around the world and in different hemispheres from each other, but they do share the same mother, Maleishka. Pim was born three years before Milka, both born in Kazan.

Milka is also (half) sister of Gogo, the new father in Yokohama Japan, as they share the same father, Yukon. And Yukon is also grandfather of Pim, whose father is Milka and Gogo's brother Permjack.

Born in the wild

Two of the parents were Russian wildborn, rescued as cubs: Seriku in Perm Zoo and Aurora in Brazil.

I have given the cubs' details listed in order of date of birth. The photos of the parents are mine, the photos showing the cubs are from the respective zoos.

Nuka and Kap's son in Karlsruhe

Nuka and Kap - Zoo Karlsruhe Germany

- November 2 - It's a boy

In early November, Nuka gave birth to twins in the outside part of the mother cub enclosure in Karlsruhe. Zoo staff were not optimistic about their survival, especially because Nuka chose to give birth in a somewhat sheltered half cave, but still exposed to the elements. The single camera did not have a good view, but there were baby sounds coming from the birth area. We know now that only one cub survived, The area was cordoned off to give Nuka peace and quiet, and keepers threw in bags of straw for bedding and for barriers so the cub wouldn't fall into the drained pool. When the cub began to explore, Nuka coaxed the little one inside, to the safety of the den. That little boy is thriving, and will be seen by visitors in about two weeks.

Nuka and her twin sister Qilak were born in Aalborg Denmark in 2016 to mother Malik and father Lars, who was also the father of the famous Knut as well as Anori and Fiete. Malik's other twins are Imaq and Inuk, who have just moved to Tallinn Estonia.

Father Kap was born in Moscow in 2000 to wildborn Murma and Uold (brother of Uslada). Kap is also the father of young Anouk in Hamburg. Kap is half brother to Gota (in Japan), Boris/Ivan (in Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark) and Raspi/Rasputin, who has just moved to Aalborg.

There's an American connection too, as Malik's grandfather Nanook of Copenhagen was also father of Wilhelm (Willy), the rescued circus bear in the US.,  as well as father of Corinna, mother of Wilbär.

The public can now vote for a name for the Karlsruhe cub among three: Manuk, Maximus or Mika.

anslation results

Translation resu

Milka's cub in Perm, Russia

Milka (also called Yumki) and Seriku - Perm Zoo Russia - November 15

This cub's existence was kept secret until a few weeks ago, and it was just announced that the cub is a girl.

Mother Milka was born in 2012 in Kazan. Her mother was Maleishka (sister of Uslada and Uold and others), who was also mother of Pim, father of the Brazil cub. So Pim is Milka's half brother. Milka's father was Yukon, who was also the father of Gogo, father of Shilka's newest cub in Japan. 

The cub's father Seriku was born in December of 2012 in the wilds of Northwestern Siberia, on the island of Bely, and found alone.  He has been in the Perm Zoo since he was rescued in August of 2013. Milka arrived in Perm several months later, so the youngsters grew up together and are devoted to each other. This is their first cub.

Shilka and Gogo's cub in Yokohama

Shilka (Ichaan) and Gogo - Yokohama Zoo Japan - November 18

Shilka, born in Novosibirsk Russia in December of 2013,  is the daughter of Gerda and Kai (Krassin). Shilka and Gogo are also parents of Hochan, born in 2020.

Shilka's mother Gerda is the granddaughter of Uslada and Menshikov, and is daughter of Untai and Simona. Through her father, Gerda is half sister of Gota, Raspi, and Boris/Ivan. Through her mother, Gerda is half sister of nine other bears including Flocke's mother Vera. Kai (Krassin), the father of all of Gerda's cubs in Novosibirsk, is also son of Uslada, so he is Gerda's uncle. Gerda and Kai are also parents of Rostik, twins Shauna and Nordi, and twins Belka and Strelka. Shilka's father Kai (Krassin) has an older brother Lagodor, also called Kai, who is the father of Paula's cub. 

Father Gogo, always playing with toys and doing amusing things, was born in 2004, the offspring of Amderma and Yukon. Amderma was also mother of  Gogo's brother Menshikov, the mate of Uslada and father of many bears. Amderma was also grandmother of  Sao Paulo's new father Pim.  

Aurora and Nur in Brazil

Aurora and Pim - Sao Paulo Brazil 

- November 25 - a girl named Nur

We did not know about Nur until a few weeks ago. Just today, she made her public debut, playing in piles of snow with her mother Aurora.

Aurora and her twin sister Victoria were born in the wild in 2009. They were found at the age of 4 or 5 months near Lake Taymyr in the northern Krasnoyarsk region of Russia. They lived at Krasnoyarsk Zoo for much of 2010, then Aurora moved to Izhevsk Zoo, where Pim was already living. I have no more information on Victoria.  

Aurora and Pim were great playmates in the Izhevsk Zoo and then in 2014, the pair moved halfway around the world to Sao Paulo Aquarium in Brazil. 

Pim (Pilgrim)was born in 2009 in Kazan, to Uslada's sister Maleishka (also mother of Perm Zoo's new mom Milka born in 2012 with Yukon as the father), and Permjak (brother of Gogo, who is father of Shilka's cub). Permjak's parents were Amderma and Yukon. Pim spent a few months in Novosibirsk when he was less than a year, then a few more months in Moscow, finally moving to the Izhevsk Zoo in early 2011. A few months later young Aurora arrived in Izhevsk, and they two of them finally were moved to Brazil in 2014, where they have just now produced a cub.

This is the first polar bear cub born in Brazil. I do not know of any others ever born in South America.

Lloyd, father of the twins in Hungary,
 in 2016 in Bremerhaven.

The twins in Sosto Zoo

Lloyd and Schnezana (Sznyezsana) 

 - November 27 - Twins

Nyíregyháza Animal Park, Sóstó Zoo Hungary

The twins in Hungary were also kept secret until just recently.

Sznyezsana was born in 2014 in Moscow to Uslada's daughter Simona and wildborn Wrangel. In 2017 Sznyezsana moved to Sosto Hungary.

As daughter of Simona, Sznyezsana (there are various spellings) is sister of many bears we know, including Nord (of Aalborg), Vera, Gerda and many others. 

Lloyd was born in 2000 in Vienna to Olinka and Eric. Olinka's father Omaha was born in Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska to Olaf and Olga, so Paula's cubs are related to some American bears. Eric was the son of Aika in Tierpark Berlin, so he was brother to Bjorn-Heinrich, father of new mother Paula in Japan.

Lloyd has lived in Bremerhaven, Karlsruhe, Budapest and Sosto. In Bremerhaven he fathered Lale, Lili, and twins Anna and Elsa with Valeska.

Paula's twins in Sendai Japan
To me, they look like boys.

Paula and Kai - Sendai Japan - December 20 - Twins

Paula's twins were announced in January.

Paula is closely related to many bears we know in Europe. Paula was born in 2004 in Palic, the daughter of Simba and Bjorn-Heinrich. Bjorn-Heinrich was born in Tierpark Berlin in 1986, the son of the famous Aika and Gorki, and thus was the brother of Eric, a bear we are all familiar with as father of Olinka’s children and a few others. So Paula is first cousin of Lloyd, Nika, Nord, Felix, Lara, Arctos, Nanuq, Vicks, Todz and Sizzel. 

The father of Paula's cubs is another bear also named Kai  (Ladogor), also son of Uslada and Menshikov. He was born in 2004 in St. Petersburg. He is brother of the other Kai (Krassin) of Novosibirsk.

I remember that Paula was announced as having a cub last year, but nothing more was heard, so I am guessing that it did not live long.

So it was great news to hear that she had twins this year, and they are doing well.

Nuka, the new mom in Karlsruhe,
 when she was young in 2019 in Aalborg.

Kap, the new father in Karlsruhe.

Qannik's birthday with a love match theme

 

Little rescued polar bear cub Qannik, now all of 14 years old, is ready to throw her ring into the dating pool. Actually, the love match has already been made, and Qannik's beau Bo, age 6 years, was just across the way during her big birthday party on Saturday, January 4, at the Louisville Zoo. He has been courting her for the past year, since his arrival from Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison Wisconsin. Having lived alone for all of her 14 years, Qannik has been a reluctant girlfriend. On the other hand, Bo has never lived alone until he came to Louisville, having lived with his mother Crystal in the Toledo Zoo, and then with older lady Berit in Madison.

Young Bo (left) and Berit in Henry Vilas

While they have spent quality time at the "howdy gate" getting to know each other during the past 11 months, Qannik and Bo have not yet been put together in the same space without a barrier. That is about to change.

Bo in the indoor exhibit at Louisville on Saturday

Qannik's specimens have been sent to CREW at the Cincinnati Zoo on a regular basis during the past year, and her hormones spikes have been charted. According to her charts, the ideal time for Qannik to meet Bo and be receptive is in the next couple of weeks. 

The keepers plan to introduce the two sweethearts in the large outdoor enclosure some morning before the zoo opens, with a large staff present and plenty of preparation. There will be fire hoses at the ready, as well as a number of other precautions to separate them if needed.  After all, Bo does weigh twice as much as Qannik. But hopefully, all will go well, and Qannik will welcome Bo's attentions. He has been anxious to spend time with her for the past year. Keepers say that Qannik's attitude towards Bo has warmed up considerably, and she is interested.

Bo in the overhead bridge

With Qannik's social life about to change, the keepers thought a dating app theme would be appropriate for Saturday's party, held with just a small public crowd on a very cold day.

Bo's dating app page. He weighs 1045 pounds, and likes barrels,
 long walks by the pool, and fine dining.

Qannik's dating app page. She weighs 485 pounds, and likes grapes, snuggling and chewing on bones.

 Everyone sang Happy Birthday, while Qannik came out to find a nice meaty knuckle to chew on, a brand new giant pickle, lots of peanut butter smeared on birthday blocks, a Christmas tree, and her favorite, a frozen pumpkin.

Qannik swipes right

Qannik finds the peanut butter.

A new pickle. The keepers say they will have to keep it way from the boys, polar bear Bo and grizzly Otis, who are rough on pickles.

A frozen pumpkin is a favorite treat.
 The keepers have about a hundred put away in a freezer for her.

 

Qannik settles down to consume her birthday treat.

Since Bo already had a big breakfast and wasn't invited to the party,
he took a nap.

Since Qannik is property of the Fish and Wildlife Department as a rescued bear cub from Alaska, Louisville Zoo had to get special permission for her to be part of the breeding program. As a wildborn bear, Qannik's genes are especially valuable. This match is important because almost all the younger polar bears in US zoos are related to Crystal, and Qannik is not related. 

Bo, the son of Crystal and the late Marty at the Toledo Zoo, came from Henry Vilas last February, and has been waiting for Qannik to come around to him ever since. Let's hope it all works out for the "love match" at the Louisville Zoo. Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Maybe Qannik and Bo will be the next supercouple.

Here's a flashback to Qannik's fifth birthday party, in 2016, where she had a peanut butter cake from a bakery.

Double the Birthday Fun in Toledo

 

The cubs, on the left, both want the same piece.
Crystal is in the back.

It was a Pumpkin Party weekend to celebrate birthdays at the Arctic Encounter at the Toledo Zoo. Supermom Crystal turned 26 on November 10, and her twin sons Kallik and Kallu turned two years old the next day, on November 11. On each of the two birthday mornings, the bears awoke to some pumpkin treats along with other goodies.

Crystal, on the right, and one of her sons enjoy some pumpkin.

Crystal, after having her fill of pumpkin pieces, retreated to her favorite nap spot on top of  lookout rock, while Kallu and Kallik spent both mornings making up new games, and in between they would return to the big party staging room to check out what was left of the party fixings.

Kalu, Kallik and Crystal with the watermelon at Monday's party.

It is not easy to tell the cubs apart, even though Kallu weighs considerably more, for the cubs are always on the move. So the photos here could be either one. Kallik, who has always been smaller, weighs 607 pounds, and his brother Kallu is a hefty 731. Kallu is more of a mama's boy, and tends to spend more time around his mother normally, but with all the excitement of the party, he mostly played with his brother.

Some of the leftover goodies, sweet potatoes and celery.

Crystal in the front snacks on herring.

There were pumpkins, sweet potatoes, watermelon, celery (I think it was celery), little fishies and delicious substances smeared on the birthday signs for licking.

Some cute signs for Kallu and Kallik.

Looking quite innocent, Kallik ignores the Terrible 2's sign.

The boys played a lot with the pumpkin and sweet potato pieces, dragging them outside to play both in and out of the water.

A pumpkin bowl is perfect for carrying.

Maybe this piece is too big to carry.

A waterlogged pumpkin, still tastes good.

Just a few more bites.

This is awkward.

Pumpkins make me smile.

The floating tube is a favorite toy too.

Play and a snack.

Just rolling along.

Can I get a "thumbs up" for my multi-tasking skills?

The brothers had the best time just playing with each other.

There was a lot of serious biting going on.
This is how polar bears practice their hunting and fighting skills
for later on, when they are grown.

I dare you...

I double dog dare you, come on!

Play fighting is fun.

Don't run away now!

Time for more water wrestling.

Another favorite toy is the black lid. The boys play with their lids  by the hour, flipping and diving and retrieving the silly things.

Hiding the lid in the nursing den...

Flipping the lid in the big pool...

How high can you throw this thing?

The boys are bonded, as happens with twins, and Kallu is very close to his mother. But the time for them to leave is coming soon. We don't know where they will go, or if they will go together. There is some talk that Toledo might even keep one of the youngsters, since Crystal is aging and they want to make sure their polar bear habitat has a beloved bear living there. 

These early years together are precious. They grow up so fast. And even with these busy boys, there are some quiet times together.

Crystal came down from her rocky roost for a few moments,
 and played with one of the boys, probably Kallu, since he tends to be near his mother. The outdoor viewing window was fogged up,
 making it appear to be a beautiful dream.

A pause in the water play for the brothers.

The brothers love each other. 

I drove three hours in the rain and the dark to get to Toledo on Sunday morning for Crystal's party, stayed overnight for the boy's party, then drove three hours to get home. But I wouldn't have wanted to miss this special time with the Toledo bears. Kallik and Kallu will be Crystal's last babies. She has raised nine cubs in all in the Toledo Zoo. The end of an era. I will do another post, just about Crystal's birthday and her great legacy. She's a legendary mother and a beautiful bear.