A snack for the Aalborg bears

Malik sits at the restaurant table, waiting for someone
 to take her order and serve her a fine gourmet dinner.

As 2023 comes to an end, one more look back at my visit to Aalborg Denmark in September.  In the wild, polar bears mostly prey on seals, and occasionally on a beached whale.

But in zoos, what do they have for dinner? They have some interesting favorites in Aalborg Zoo in Denmark, things that they would never dream of in the wild.

Fish is regularly served up to the polar bears, sometimes Salmon, sometimes mackerel,
 sometimes even trout.

Polar bears need lots of fat. Sometimes they are given lard, which the bears find yummy. Sometimes they get skin with layers of fat, and they have to work hard to get the fat off.

Malik enjoying some fatty skin the cubs just dug up out of the gravel.

Sisters Imaq and Inuk wonder how to share this fatty skin.

Children may pester their mother,
 but still are welcome in this restaurant.
Malik is still waiting to be served.

In September, our group of polar bear fans got a special treat ourselves when we we allowed to go behind the scenes and bring fruit and vegetables from a list approved by the zookeepers. Some of the vegetables came from our gardens. The bears got cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, pears, celery, carrots and more.

A special treat, corn on the cob, already shucked,
 and brought by visitors.

Three watermelons, one for each. They really like the melon.
This was the first time they had it.

Here the bears get some pears from a visitor in the polar bear group.

Grapes are good too. Like a Roman orgy.

Malik's favorite is celery.

The cubs like celery too.

Yummy carrots

Celeriac is very funny looking, but Malik loves it.

The kids are liking their carrots. Synchronized eating.

Dinner is served. It looks like Fennel and Fish are on the menu.

The favorite meal for the cubs comes from Mom.
Even though they are four years old.

Malik and her girls of Aalborg Zoo

 

Inuk, Imaq and Mother Malik.
The cub who stays on land is on the left,
 and the cub who likes the water is in the middle.

My first international trip in almost five years, and I missed Aalborg Zoo most of all. I had not yet met Malik's most recent twins, Imaq and Inuq, the offspring of the late Nord. So I arranged to spend some time in Aalborg in September, and it was a gathering of polar bear fans as well.

Here I am with Ralph from the UK, in front of one of the lower windows, as the cubs roll in the river rocks. Photo by my friend Sussi

Although the cubs, who turned four years old in November, have been chipped, with a name assigned to each chip, even the keepers seem are not quite sure which one is Imaq and which is Inuk. DNA tests have shown that both are girls. The cubs are a bit smaller than their mom, but not by much, so it is easy to mix the three of them up at times. They were still nursing in September, even at that age, so sometimes you can tell it is Malik when you can see the milk bar on her chest, or the trailing beard under her chin.

Malik still nursing her cubs, who are almost four years old.

At this age, the cubs are easy to tell apart, both by appearance and by behavior.

Malik in the middle, with the cub who likes water on the left,
and the cub who stays on land is on the right.

One of the girls has a bigger head and thicker neck, and almost a fluffy mane of fur, and she is a little darker. That one tends to hang around her mother a little more, often following Malik about, and this cub is usually on land, only goes into the water sometimes to play with her sister or fetch food, reluctantly. 

The land favoring cub on the left, with Mother Malik.
She likes to be near mom.

The other cub has a more streamlined look, sleeker fur and is lighter in color. She is the independent girl, away from mom a lot more, and tends to be in the water most of the time. 

Water cub and Land cub

Water cub and Land cub, Imaq and Inuk, who is who?

There are times when both cubs are in the water, having some wonderful splashy battles, or enjoying the many snacks the keepers throw in for them. Or they are both on land.

Sisters wrestle in the water

Another way to tell the cubs apart is that the cub who likes to be near mom and stay on land also really likes to interact with the visitors, especially my friend Ralph. She would spend forever sitting with him, playing with him, talking to him. We were all enchanted with the "bearmance."

The cub who likes to be on land also really likes Ralph.

                          Watch out, she wants to eat that hat.

The special gathering of polar bear fans was held on Wednesday, September 13, and it was open to anyone who wanted to come to the zoo that day. Ralph from the UK was there, as well as Marga and Hartmut from Berlin. And of course the Danish fans.

Some of the polar bear group, photo by Jeanette.

The highlight of the day came when we were allowed a behind the scenes visit to the polar bears, and we brought fruits and vegetables to feed them, approved by the keeper. We brought apples, pears and grapes, as well as carrots, cucumbers, shucked corn on the cob and tomatoes. Their favorite treat seems to be celery. 

One of the guests feeding cucumbers to the bears.

It is exciting to be so close to the polar bears, and to watch their delight as they got their special treats. I fed them the corn, giving each bear a cob, but one cub stole from her sister, and ran away with two cobs all to herself. 

The cub who likes to be in the water seems to be dominant,
 as she her sister's cob of corn and ran away.

Jeanette also brought three watermelons for the keeper to throw into the pool later. That was a big hit too.

Waiting for the watermelons

Watermelon in the water

Best to find a place to eat this, away from sister.

Chowing down

Running away with the prize. There were three melons for three bears.

Making a delicious mess. They ended up eating the rind too.

Some leftover grapes are found

Two polar bear tragedies, more heartbreak

March is the month for hope. Spring is coming, flowers are starting to bloom and the future looks bright.  But also, Beware the Ides of March. And really -- all of March.

This year in March, we lost two bears with big personalities, young girl bears that made us smile and had so much promise for bright futures. And now they are gone, Imaq in Denmark and Milk in Japan.

Imaq of Copenhagen, died this month.
She was only four years old

I don't know why the month of March has become a time for losing beloved bears before their time. For whatever reason, mating season, cubs emerge from the den, change in seasons, the stars aligning badly, we have seen too many tragedies in March.

The Nuremburg Four

The polar bear double enclosure at Tiergarten Nuremburg.

March 30, 2000, four female polar bears visiting Tiergarten Nuremburg temporarily from Zoo Karlsruhe were let out by some intruder, and were wandering about in the woods. To protect the public, the zoo decided they had no choice but to shoot them after attempts to tranquilize failed.  Nadine, Silke, and two other bears were killed. Nadine was the mother of Katjuscha and Antonia. Silke was the mother of Anton, grandmother of Wilbaer.  The four lady bears were visiting Nuremburg while the bear habitat in Karlsruhe was being rebuilt. They never got the chance to return home. 

Swimmer

In 2009, tiny Swimmer, emerged from the den with his mother Huggies and his twin brother Walker on that sunny spring day in Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands, and died within the week on March 23, having drowned after blood vessels burst in his chest. In a short time, the world had become enchanted with the videos of little Swimmer and his normal sized brother Walker. Swimmer was about a third the size of his brother, but seemed perfectly healthy. The brothers frolicked at the side of the pool, and Swimmer was just so cute.

Walker and Swimmer were destined for fame, as their birth and early weeks were filmed in the den for David Attenborough's "The Frozen Planet." 

 Here is a link to a story with photos about their first day out.

Huggies with Swimmer and Walker first day out

Then on that Monday, in front of so many visitors, Swimmer was in the pool, went under and did not come up. His mother dove in and brought his body to the shore, and everyone watched while Huggies and Walker grieved for the lost baby.  

Huggies still lives in Ouwehands. Walker lives in Highlands Wildlife Park in Scotland.

Knut

Knut the Dreamer, commemorative sculpture in Zoo Berlin,
by Josef Tabachnyk

Knut, famous cub of the Berlin Zoo who was only 4 years old,  died March 19, 2011, after brain incident, then collapsing into the pool and drowning. It was later found to be encephalitis. 

Knut and his twin brother were born December 6, 2006, to retired circus bear Tosca and father Lars. Tosca abandoned the cubs immediately, and the keepers rushed to save them. The brother died, but Knut rose to worldwide fame with photos and videos of his early life with keeper Thomas Dörflein.

Knut was immensely popular, quite a draw for the zoo. He lived with his keeper, then alone for a time. He was happy when young Giovanna came to live with him, but she left and went back to Munich. Knut then moved in with his mother Tosca and two other lady bears, Nancy and Katjuscha, where he was not terrible happy. On that fateful Saturday, in front an crowds of fans, he started walking in circles while on a rock in the middle of the pool, and then fell in. That was the end of him. An autopsy showed it was an inflammation of the brain, caused by encephalitis.

Now there are no polar bears at the Berlin Zoo. Lars, Tosca, Nancy, Katjuscha and Knut are all gone. But the lovely bronze sculpture of Knut the Dreamer continues to keep watch over the polar bear area.

And Knut continues to be a touchstone for all polar bear lovers, and inspired a community of fans and bloggers that continues to this day. 

Fritz

Fritz, photo by Tierpark Berlin

In Tierpark Berlin, four month old Fritz, son of Tonja and Wolodja, became very ill and died of liver inflammation on  March 7, 2017, breaking many hearts who had seen his adorable photos from the zoo. He seemed perfectly well for most of his short life, and we watched and waited for him to emerge from the den, but after a short illness, he died before he had the chance to venture into the world. 

In 2018, Tonja gave birth to Hertha, named after the Berlin Soccer team. Father Wolodja moved to Rotterdam, but Tonja and Hertha continue to live in Tierpark. 

Tips the Chocolate Bear

Tips of Osnabrück

March 11, 2017, we lost Tips, the beloved chocolate bear of  Osnabruck Germany, leaving behind her twin brother Taps to carry on alone. 

Tips and Taps were born in Zoo Osnabrück, Germany to European Brown Bear mother Susi and Polar Bear father Elvis, who was American born. It was a surprise, as it was thought at the time that polar bears and brown bears could not breed.

The brother and sister, sometimes called the Chocolate Bears, or Hybrid Bears, were a mix of the two parents. The Brown Bear part of Tips wanted to hibernate, unlike polar bears. She spent the winter of 2016-17 denned up, and emerged in early March, hungry, much thinner and able to squeeze through a crack between the bear enclosure and the silver foxes right next door, a crack which seemed impossible. But squeeze through she did, and finding herself outside the enclosure, didn't know what to do. She headed uphill, towards a path leading to the crowded zoo entrance, and the heartbroken keepers felt it was their only choice to shoot her to protect the public.

And now it is just brother Taps who lives in Osnabrück, alone with the silver foxes.

Tips (top) and Taps in 2012.

 Little One and Anana

Little One with Anana

Little One, the oldest male bear in the US at the time, died of old age on March 21, 2021, he was 31 years old. His death was not unexpected, but came on the heels of the news of the death of his beloved mate Anana in Detroit, just weeks before. 

Anana

Anana, who was born in the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City on December 12, 2000, led a life very much like a soap opera. She moved around quite a bit, experienced some romance, and her life was tinged with drama.

Young Anana  moved from Salt Lake City to Buffalo in 2002.  A mate, the handsome wildborn Nanuq, arrived in Buffalo in 2009, but Anana was very reluctant to warm up to him. She finally decided he was okay, and gave birth to cub in December of 2012 but showed no interest in her baby (Luna, still living in Buffalo). Father Nanuq had left Buffalo before the birth, and Anana left right afterwards, moving to Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in early 2013.The Buffalo Zoo kept Luna's birth a secret as the keepers raised the little one, and announced it at a dramatic press conference in the spring. 

At Brookfield Zoo, Anana was alternately paired with old Aussie and his son Hudson. No cubs ever resulted from those meetings.

In 2016 Anana returned to the Buffalo Zoo, where her daughter Luna was now mostly grown, but of course she did not know her daughter. Still, Buffalo Zoo fans were delighted to see Anana again. In Anana's absence, the old bear pits she had known had been demolished, and there was a beautiful new double polar bear habitat, spacious and grassy, so she probably didn't even know she was back in Buffalo.

And then in 2016 Anana she was moved to Cincinnati, where hopes were high that she and a fine older male bear named Little One might have cubs. At first, things were off to a rocky start, as they couldn't stand each other. And then one day, after about a year, in a light bulb moment, Anana discovered that she adored Little One, and from then on they couldn't get enough of each other.

Sadly, no cubs resulted from this pairing, however Anana and Little One did have a fulfilling relationship during their three years together.

But Little One was elderly, and it was feared that yet another breeding season would be too hard on him, so Anana said goodbye to her paramour and went to north to Detroit, where gentle Nuka was waiting. And more drama.

She came to Detroit in early 2020, and had a good relationship with Nuka. Then, on that horrible day in February of 2022, she collapsed from previously unknown heart failure.

The two bears were on the ice pack when Anana collapsed, and Nuka tried to wake her by grabbing her head in his mouth, leaving some superficial wounds. Because of this and the blood, it was first thought that Nuka might have killed her in mating attempts. 

Several months later, the autopsy revealed that Anana had died of heart failure, and Nuka was exonerated. But this further news was not well publicized, and most people continued to believe that Nuka was guilty in Anana's death.

The real story was sent out to Detroit Zoo members, and I published that story, that Nuka was innocent, in my blog. The truth was not published anywhere else, so the original story was still what most people believed, even though it was wrong.

When Nuka moved to Toledo, his reputation preceded him, and people were concerned for their mother bear Crystal, but the truth was finally getting out there. Nuka and Crystal had a successful breeding season, and Crystal gave birth to twins.

The gentle Nuka, once falsely accused, has been exonerated. He has since returned to Detroit.

Milk

Milk (Photo by Yasuko Hatano)

Milk, the silly clown of a bear in Japan, was killed in a mating incident at Kushiro Zoo on March 1, 2023.

Ten year old Milk had been getting along just fine with the male, 14 year old Kiruro. On that day, an argument broke out between the two, and escalated. Keepers tried to distract them, using a fire hose. Somehow, Milk's neck was broken. 

Milk was born in Oga Aquarium in 2012, and was a favorite bear of the Japanese public, for she liked to clown around in silly hats, playing with toys in amusing ways, and often standing up like a little person. 

Milk's mother was Kurumi, and her father was Gota, son of Murma and Untai in Moscow. Milk had some well-known  uncles, for Gota is the brother of Rasputin of Tallinn, Kap of Hamburg, and Boris of Skandinavisk Dyrepark. Gota is also the father of two year old Fubuki.

The Kushiro City Zoo where Milk died was inundated with hundreds of bouquets of flowers from the many who mourned the loss of Milk, a very special girl indeed, and the flower tributes continued to pour in all month.

Imaq of Copenhagen

Imaq as a cub in Copenhagen Zoo

And now we have lost four year old Imaq, the delightful cub I met in 2019 in Copenhagen. She was the daughter of Lynn and Nord. In her curiosity in the afternoon of March 8, she broke through a steel gate and found an electrical installation, where she was electrocuted when she chewed on some wires. It was a freak accident, so tragic, and she was so young.

The Copenhagen Zoo is still has Imaq's mother Lynn, as well as Noel and her three year old daughter Inuvik, Imaq's half sister. 

Mother Lynn is the twin sister of Luka of Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Imaq's maternal grandparents are Huggies and the late Victor. Imaq's father Nord (North) was the son of Simona and Wrangel of Moscow. Nord, who died in Finland in 2021, was the father of Nissan, formerly of YWP and now in France, as well as cubs Imaq and Inuk in Aalborg, Beely and Sery of Paira Daiza in Belgium, and the two girls in Copenhagen.

Imaq's death was a freak accident, a sad event that will haunt many of us for a long time. She was a sweet, fun-loving girl. Rest in Peace, angel.

Nord is gone too soon

Nord

 Nord was almost 16 years old when he died today in Ranua Zoo in Finland. He had been ill for awhile, and was being treated, but we don't know what the problem was. He was euthanized when it became clear he was beyond help. 

He was born November 13, 2005 in Moscow, to Simona and Vrangel.  He was the father of son Nissan, born in 2013 in Izhevsk Russia and now in France: twin sons Beely and Sery, born in Izhevsk and now in Belgium; and four daughters with similar names born in Danish zoos, Imaq born in 2018 in Copenhagen, twins Inuq and Imaq born in 2019 in Aalborg, and Inuviq born in 2019 in Copenhagen.  

He was a nice cooperative bear, and good to his female companions.

I have happy memories of feeding him grapes in Aalborg Zoo.

Nord will be greatly missed.

Sleepy Nord

Nord was a friendly bear

Nord and Malik, getting along well.

That's Nord behind the rock

Malik and Nord in Aalborg

Malik and Nord in Aalborg

Nord

Nord in a happy mood 

Our friend Ralph feeding celery to Nord in Aalborg.

I bought some grapes at Lidl for Nord.