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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Some of the leftover goodies, sweet potatoes and celery. |
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| 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.
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| Some cute signs for Kallu and Kallik. |
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| 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.
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| A pumpkin bowl is perfect for carrying. |
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| Maybe this piece is too big to carry. |
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| A waterlogged pumpkin, still tastes good. |
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| Just a few more bites. |
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| This is awkward. |
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| Pumpkins make me smile. |
The floating tube is a favorite toy too.
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| Play and a snack. |
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| Just rolling along. |
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| Can I get a "thumbs up" for my multi-tasking skills? |
The brothers had the best time just playing with each other.
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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. |
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| I dare you... |
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| I double dog dare you, come on! |
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| Play fighting is fun. |
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| Don't run away now! |
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| Time for more water wrestling. |
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| Hiding the lid in the nursing den... |
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| Flipping the lid in the big pool... |
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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. |
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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. |
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| A pause in the water play for the brothers. |
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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.
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