Lazy summer days for Aurora and Lee

 

Aurora on land, Lee in the water

24 year old Lee and 17 year old Aurora are enjoying the last days of summer in the Columbus Zoo by napping, lazing around in the sun, and taking an occasion dip in their deep salt water pool. 

Aurora napping in the late summer sun.

Aurora is sleeping more and more, and wanting to be inside as denning season approaches. She has gained 250 pounds over the summer, now weighing in at 800 pounds. Her guy Lee returned from his stay at the Louisville Zoo in February of 2023, but no cubs resulted last winter, but baby hopes are high for this year.

My U.S. polar bear cub forecast predicts good chances for both Aurora, and also for her younger sister Suka, who lives in the Detroit Zoo with Nuka. Aurora is the mother of five cubs already, and Suka has been pregnant three times, with one successful birth and raising of twins (with help from the keepers for Laerke).

Lee says hello

A friendly smile

Lee dragging around a blanket toy

Lee weighs in at 1100 pounds. He has been around the block a few times, born in Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY in 1999, and spending time in Lincoln Park in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Denver, but not fathering any cubs. He came to Columbus for the first time in November of 2018, where he got along just fine with twin sisters Aurora and Anana. The arrival of Aurora's son Kulu in 2019 meant that things were getting crowded in Columbus, so he was sent to the Louisville Zoo in 2020, coming back in 2023. By that time, Anana had passed away, so it was just Aurora waiting for him.

Aurora and Anana in 2011.
The keepers painted Aurora's paw so they could tell the girls apart.

I talked to a docent at the zoo about the loss of Anana. He said that she had had a cold, some sort of respiratory illness. It didn't seem too severe, but it quickly turned into encephalitis, and Anana's body just couldn't fight off the infection. It was suspected she had some sort of autoimmune condition.  In mid October of 2022, she died one month short of her 16th birthday.  

Young Kulu and his Auntie Anana in 2021. They were happy playmates.

Aurora and Lee's son Kulu now lives in the Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota with two elderly bears, Nan and Neil. Neil is brother of the late Icee, who was grandfather of Kulu's father Lee.

Elderly Neil and young Kulu in Como Zoo in 2022.

I visited the Columbus Zoo on the first day of September, and it promised to be a hot one. Lee and Aurora had been out earlier in the morning, but had gone inside for their breakfast. At about 11:15 each morning, the bear keepers present a morning snack to either the neighboring Alaskan Brown Bears Brutus and Buckeye, or to the polar bears. This day, it was the polar bears. Lee had been playing with an indestructible blue rug, but came over to the big pool when it was time. Aurora had been napping in the sun, and she was not interested in moving. 

Lee heads for snack time at the pool

Aurora would rather sleep than snack.

Lee had some snacks, and swam around for a bit, but was attracted to the window, possibly to a bag of strawberries that someone had left on the floor. Did Lee know that this was some delicious food on the other side of the glass? He did seem interested in that one spot.

Lee is curious.

Lee is just checking things out.

Ah, something yummy...

Sad. Lee can't get to the strawberries through the window.

Finally Aurora decided to wake up and come check things out.

Aurora thinks about coming into the pool
while Lee flirts with a little girl.

 She watched Lee play with the folks at the window, and then swam for a bit, playing with a plastic lid. 

The lid makes a great toy.

By this time, Lee was napping on a rock, half in the water and half out.

Good way for Lee to keep cool during his nap.

Aurora scratches her back on some rocks.

 After some water play, Aurora shook off the drops and headed for her den, where she would probably nap in air conditioned comfort for the afternoon. When I left, Lee was still sleeping in the shallow water.

Aurora heads for the den.

Aurora has always had her cubs in November, so we will wait and see. She is already mother to Nora, who lives in the Portland Zoo, twins Nuniq (now in Kansas City) and Neva (now in Salt Lake City), and young Kulu in Como Zoo. The father of Nora, Nuniq and Neva was the late Nanuq.

Aurora's cubs
 - a poster on the wall.

Family connections

Aurora and her twin sister were born in the Toledo Zoo in 2006, the offspring of Belgium born Crystal and the late Marty. Those parents went on to produce Siku, twins Suka and Sakari, Hope and Bo, and after Marty died, Crystal's new guy was Nuka from Detroit, and they had twins Kallik and Kallu almost two years ago.

Crystal's sister in Belgium, Blanche, was mother of Nanuk of Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark, where he fathered Danish Siku, twins Nanu and Nuno, and Nuno now has twin cubs, so Aurora has cousins in Denmark.

Lee is the son of the late Aurora and Yukon of Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY. His siblings are twin sister Anana of North Carolina, Haley of Memphis and Anoki, now back at home in Rochester. Aurora was sister of the late Denali, who went to Japan and fathered eight cubs there, so Lee is related to many Japanese bears.

Lee's mother Aurora (many bears have been named Aurora and Anana) was half sister Kiska of ABQ Biopark, and of  the late Anana, mother of Luna. Lee's great grandfather Bruno was father of CW, who went to Europe and was mother and grandmother of many cubs there, so Lee has European cousins. Lee's father Yukon and his twin sister Berlin were the only polar bear cubs born and raised in the Cincinnati Zoo. Yukon and Berlin's father Icee was brother to Neil, now living in the Como Zoo with his great nephew Kulu.

Fritz the hippo turns two!

Fritz goes for the gold in the baton grabbing competition.

 

Over the weekend, the famous Fritz, also known by friends as Tater Tot, celebrated his second birthday at Hippo Cove in the Cincinnati Zoo, along with his mom Bibi, his even more famous sister Fiona, and his father Tucker. All these photos were from Saturday's birthday celebration. I arrived just after the cake ceremony.

Fritz with his tasty "birthday cake." Photo by my friend Lisa Hubbard.

Early birds could witness Fritz getting his "birthday cake," which was an extravaganza, some colorful fruit popsicle treats stacked on top of huge lettuce leaves.  The entire bloat got some watermelon on Friday, to celebrate National Watermelon Day, which was actually Saturday. 

No, Fiona, it isn't your birthday.
(But she posed anyway in the frame.)

The Cincinnati Zoo's enrichment team had painted a birthday balloon frame, like a birthday card, onto the viewing window. Fiona took her turn posing there, pretending it was her birthday too. Since Fiona was born in January, her birthday parties are often impacted by the cold and winter weather, so this was her chance, while brother Fritz was busy playing with his favorite stick.

Fiona, now age 7, is famous the world over for her miraculous survival after being born six weeks prematurely, weighing only 29 pounds instead of the 50-100 pounds that a full term hippo baby weighs, and being unable to stand to nurse. She was raised by the keepers, and had several medical interventions to save her. Eventually, she was reintroduced to her mother Bibi, and then her father, Henry. Her journey was covered heavily on social media at the time, and since then, numerous books have been written about her. Her fans come from all over the world to see her and her hippo family at the Cincinnati Zoo. And now Fritz has gotten some notoriety too, mostly for being Fiona's little brother. 

Fritz likes to stalk unsuspecting logs, sneaking up and then attacking.
 The logs don't know what hit them.

Fritz on the prowl for logs.

Got one! Fritz does it over and over again.

Fritz really likes the long stick.
 Lots of paparazzi around to capture the moment. 

The happy birthday boy

More paparazzi,

A smile from the birthday boy.

There goes Fritz, running through the birthday frame with his family.

Fritz with his extra long stick, a favorite toy on his birthday.

Fritz also spent some time chasing his daddy Tucker around and giving him some bites, as Fritz likes to do!

Fritz gives daddy Tucker some bites. It's one of his favorite games.

Some fans even wore special Fritz birthday t-shirts for the occasion and were happy to pose with Zoo Director Thane Maynard, who stopped by to wish Fritz a happy birthday.

Fritz is only two years old, and will remain at Hippo Cover for a few more years, but will have to leave as he grows up. Although Daddy Tucker is quite tolerant and loving now, when Fritz gets older, the older hippo bull will see him as competition, and there would be fights. When the time comes, Fritz will be sent to another zoo, where he can start his own family.

We all know that Fiona isn't going anywhere. 

Qannik and the dating game

Qannik paces in Polar Bear Alley in the Louisville Zoo last week.

 It has been an eventful year for Qannik, the young lady polar bear in the Louisville Zoo. She became an eligible bachelorette recently when she was  okayed for breeding by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, who owns her because she was a wildborn cub rescued in Alaska.

Here's Qannik celebrating her 13th Birthday with a Taylor Swift theme.

She celebrated her 13th birthday in January. Then in the middle of February, Borealis, a five year old prospective suitor, arrived from Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison Wisconsin.

I talked to one of the keepers last week about how things are going between the two potential lovebirds. The keepers gradually introduced the bears and have tried to put them together, but Qannik isn't ready yet. The bears are still separate, but Bo is always aware of where Qannik is. 

Young Bo, in Henry Vilas Zoo

Borealis, usually called Bo, was born in the Toledo Zoo, the son of Crystal and the late Marty. He was a single cub, so had the full attention of his mother, who dutifully played with him until he left Toledo for Wisconsin.

Baby Bo and Mom Crystal in the Toledo Zoo in 2019.

Bo being attentive to older lady Berit at Henry Vilas

At Henry Vilas Zoo, Bo was introduced to a senior citizen lady bear named Berit, who became his new playmate. Bo hated being separated from Berit, and would cry and cry. It is a good thing that mostly they were together. 

So Bo has never known what it is like to be solo. 

Qannik in Louisville at age 8 months.

On the other hand, Miss Qannik has been a single lady since she arrived in Louisville as a lost cub. She was raised by keepers, and relates to humans very well. She has always been aware of other bears, sharing the downstairs area with a grizzly family, and at times with other polar bears, just across the way so she could see them, smell them and hear them, but never had to interact with the other bears.

Siku in Louisville. Siku is older brother to Bo.

When Qannik first arrived in Louisville in the summer of 2011, older lady polar bear Arki was there, and also Arki's young grandson Siku, who was just a bit older than Qannik. As Siku grew into his male hormones, he was anxious to be near Qannik. But mingling was forbidden, as wild bear Qannik was property of Fish and Wildlife, and was not allowed to be part of the breeding program. 

Arki in Louisville. Both Siku and Bo are her grandsons.

Arki died of old age in 2013. Siku left for Chicago in 2016, and then it was just Qannik and the grizzly family in Louisville. The mother grizzly and her two cubs were rotated in the two public enclosures, along with Qannik.

The mother grizzly and her daughter were moved to another zoo, so then it was just Otis the  male grizzly left as a neighbor in Glacier Run. 

Otis and Rita, two of the three grizzlies at the Louisville Zoo.
Qannik's neighbors.

In 2020, the Columbus Zoo sent new father Lee to the Louisville Zoo, to make room for his son young Kulu. Lee remained in Louisville for about two years, but never was introduced to Qannik, who was still restricted as to breeding, which was probably very frustrating for Lee, to be so close to a young female but unable to do anything about it. However, Qannik was indifferent to his presence. And then he was gone,  returning to Columbus.

Qannik has always been aware of her star quality, and spends time at the window of the big pool area visiting her fans.
 She is especially fond of little girls wearing pink.

So for all of her 13 years, Qannik had been neighbors with various other bears, but lived as a solitary bear. And she has been perfectly happy that way. She has always been attracted to the youngest human visitors, sitting at her favorite window, posing for pictures, and playing with them through the glass.

Qannik with a young visitor.

 Last winter, things changed, and Fish and Wildlife finally relented and gave permission for Qannik to be paired with a male bear for breeding.

Bo

Borealis, born in Toledo to Crystal and Marty, was chosen as Qannik's potential mate, probably because he is young and used to playing second fiddle to an older lady bear. 

Young Bo arrived in Louisville in February, but had to wait through the mandatory 30 day quarantine, and by the time he could slowly be introduced to Qannik, the breeding season was almost over. Bo was quite eager, but Qannik was not so sure, so the window of opportunity passed. 

Qannik at the top of the stairs.

The keepers are not pressing the issue. Qannik and Bo remain separated. Although the two bears don't share the same space, Qannik and Bo have many opportunities to get acquainted at a mesh gate, where they can sniff each other, and rub noses if they wish. Bo is trying to impress Qannik, and she, while not entirely cooperative, often shows curiosity about Bo, goes over to the gate and sniffs at him, then walks away. They also see each other in the downstairs bedroom area, across the way.

Qannik's genes are unique in the US zoo polar bear population. Bo is related to many bears, but Qannik, rescued as an orphan cub, is related to no one. 

Currently, Qannik weighs about 500 pounds, while Bo weighs 950 pounds.

Things will change in a few months when the bears' hormones start to run high during breeding season, and the keepers are hopeful that Qannik, who has lived an isolated life until now, will start to see Bo as a romantic partner. Bo certainly hopes so. We should start to see a change in their relationship in January or February, and the bears may finally get together.

Qannik during the keeper talk last week. She enjoyed a bucketful of fish while one of the keepers told visitors Qannik's story,
 and answered questions.

This year's polar bear cubs -

 

Mother Frimas with Nivi and Elva, from my visit in 2019.

For the 2023-24 season, we have reports of only three cubs born and surviving this year, one in the Netherlands and twins in a remote northern area of Russia. 

Frimas and Wilbär are the parents of little Otis in Dierenrijk, a zoo between Mierlo, Eindhoven and Nuenen in the Netherlands.

Otis was born November 28, and his birth was announced on November 30. He just made his public debut a week ago. Otis is very popular, and already there are many photos of him with him mom, many of the photos showing how much Otis likes to get dirty. 

Baby Otis this week. (Photo by Hans Muskens)

Frimas, was wildborn in Canada in 2002 (estimated), and has been in Nuenen since 2011. She has already raised three sets of twins:  Pixel (m) and Noordje (f) born in 2012, Nicky (f) and Simona (f) born in 2015, and Nivi (m) and Elva (f) born in 2018. Henk, one of Huggies' triplets born in 2005, is the father of all three sets of triplets born to Frimas. He lives in France now.

Mother Frimas an Baby Otis. (Photo by Hans Muskens)

Otis' father Wilbär was born to Anton and Corinna in the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart Germany in 2007, their only child. He moved to Orsa Predator Park in Sweden where he fathered daughter Miki born in 2020 with Ewa, and twin boys Noori and Nannok in 2021 with Hope. Sadly, Miki died of a heart condition at age 3 as she was being moved with her mother from Orsa to the UK. Hope, along with her twin boys, were also moved from Orsa to Peak Wildlife Park in the UK last fall, after Orsa Park closed.

Otis has some interesting great uncles and a great aunt. Antonia, the famous dwarf polar bear of Gelsenkirchen ZOOM, at age 34 is also the oldest polar bear that we know of. Antonia is the half sister of Wilbär's late father Anton. Both Anton and Antonia were born in Zoo Karlsruhe.

Wilbär's uncle Nanok II, who was half brother of Corinna, was also the father of Malik of Aalborg Zoo.

Corinna's older half brother Wilhelm, also called Willie, also born in Copenhagen, was sold to the East German Circus and ended up in a Mexican Circus, where he and five other polar bears were rescued in 2002 in Puerto Rico and taken to US zoos.  Their rescue was worldwide news. Wilhelm enjoyed a good life for ten years at the North Carolina Zoo and later the Milwaukee County Zoo. 

Father Wilbär, next door (Photo by Hans Muskens)

As the Russian twins, born in the Yakutsk Zoo (Orto-Doydu), the children of wildborn mother Kolymana, are quite remote, we haven't had much information on them. The Yakutsk zoo has announced that the twins will be allowed outside at the end of March. It is very near the Arctic Circle, so it is still quite wintry there. The gender of the cubs is not known. Father of the cubs is Lomonosov, son of Uslada. Kolymana and Lomonosov are parents of daughter Chaarchana (2016) and son Almaz (2019).

UPDATE on March 26: The cubs' birthdate has been announced as December 4. They are a boy and a girl, and there will be a naming contest.

“The cubs feel good, they run actively, tumble and play pranks, but they are always close to their mother. They have grown up and can confidently go out of the house in which they were born into the inner room. Kolymana also feels good, she has a lot of worries, every little bear needs an eye and an eye, but she’s doing great, she’s coping,” said Natalya Safonova, head of the scientific and educational department of the zoo.

The Yakutsk Zoo is about 450 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and quite remote, even from the city of Yakutsk.

In 2012, Kolymana was found as a wandering lost cub, all alone in the world, by members of the Bear Patrol in the ice of the East Siberian Sea in Nizhnekolymsky ulus. She was rescued and brought to Orto-Doydu,  the zoo which is just south of Yakutsk.  

Lomonosov, born in 2011, is the same age as Kolymana. He is the son of the late Uslada and Menshikov, who produced 16 offspring at the Moscow Zoo.

The Russian twins' birth was announced on January 29, but we don't know when they were actually born, and so far just an early den video, no photos. 

As the zoos in Russia and Europe are pretty much at capacity, there has been an intentional slowdown on breeding, and this is why there were so few cubs born last year and this year.

In the Fall of 2023, there were several births in Japan, but they did not survive. Also Friida in Tallinn Estonia had triplets, but just as in the previous two years, they did not live, and Friida is now thought to be too old and they will not try again. 

Last year

In 2022, Anouk was born in Hamburg, Germany, to Viktoria and Kap, the only cub in Europe. Twin girls Belka and Strelka were born in Novosibirsk Russia to Gerda and Kai, also in 2022. And in the USA, where there is plenty of room for more cubs, last year Crystal gave birth to twin boys Kallu and Kallik, with Nuka as the father. No cubs were born in the USA this year.

Thank you to my friend Hans Muskens for allowing me to use his photos of Otis and his parents in Dierenrijk.