Lloyd leaves us

 

Lloyd, king of Bremerhaven

Lloyd, father of six cubs, passed away May 1 from liver disease. He was 26 years old.

Lloyd had very long legs, just like his half brother Felix.
So he stood very tall.

 Lloyd was born November 26, 2000 in Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna to Olinka and Eric. His twin sister Nika died in 2019 in Karlsruhe.

Lloyd's sister twin Nika in Karlsruhe. Lloyd later lived in Karlsruhe.

Lloyd was related to many bears in Europe, and also in Japan and in the US. His American cousins are descendants of Olaf and Olga, and include Berlin, Anoki, Lee, Haley NC Anana and Kulu.

Lloyd's mother Olinka, with her last set of twins,
 Todz and Sizzel, in Rotterdam.

His mother Olinka was the daughter of American born Omaha, son of Olaf and Olga in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.

His father Eric was son of Aika of Tierpark Berlin. Eric's brother Bjorn-Heinrich was father of Paula and Yuki in Japan. 

Olinka and Eric were parents of many others bears, Lara, twins Arktos and Nanuq, Vicks, and twins Todz and Sizzel. With a mother bear named Olga, Eric was also the father of Felix, who went on to father the famous Flocke, as well as Gregor and Aleut, and Charlotte. 

Lloyd overlooking the North Sea
in Bremerhaven am Meer in Germany.

Lloyd was born in Vienna, and moved to Bremerhaven in 2002, where he lived for most of his life with Valeska and fathered four girls. Valeska is one of the "V" cubs of Churchill and Vienna. 

Lloyd in Bremerhaven

Lloyd moved to Karlsruhe in 2022, where he lived for a short time with his niece Charlotte. In 2023 he moved to Budapest, and then in 2024 to Sosto, where he fathered twin boys Jorek and Ootek with Simona's daughter Sneschana. 

Lloyd's cubs Jorek and Ootek in Sosto Zoo (not my photo)

Lloyd's daughter Lale is now in Emmen in the Netherlands.

Lale and mother Valeska in 2014 in Bremerhaven.

Lili is in Rostock Germany. 

Lili and mother Valeska in Bremerhaven in 2016.

Anna and Elsa, named for the ice princess sisters in "Frozen," are in  Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic. I have not visited them. 

Although they were born several years apart,
 for a time sisters Lale and Lili lived together
 in the zoo in Emmen in the Netherlands.

When Lloyd lived in Bremerhaven, he had a vast terrain in this tiny zoo on the North Sea. He could look out the windows at the wild sea beyond. 

A window on the North Sea, watching the ships come and go.

When Valeska had cubs to take care of, the zoo would keep Lloyd behind the scenes all day, and only let him out in the late afternoon, after mother and children were put away for the day.

Lloyd inspecting his domain in Bremerhaven.

At 26, he was the oldest male bear in Europe, but it is still too young to lose such a magnificent polar bear as was Lloyd.  

Lloyd was curious and bright. 

Peeking out

Lloyd with his scepter.

Polar bear cubs have names (updated)

The eight polar bear cubs born this past birthing season have passed the half year mark, and all now have their names. The eight cubs include two sets of twins, and four single cubs. There are five boys and three girls. Three of the cubs live in Japan. Alas, no cubs in the US zoos this year. As I have not visited any of the new babies, I have borrowed photos from the zoos' facebook pages, and also I send thanks to several friends who have been lucky enough to visit some of the cubs and allowed me to share their photos here. 

Mika and Nuka in Karlsruhe Germany. Photo by Petra Ballon.

Mika in Karlsruhe. Photo from zoo's facebook page.

MiKa, a little boy pronounced MeeKah, was born in Karlsruhe on November 2 to Nuka and Kap. Nuka gave birth to twins outside the den, but in a sheltered part of the mother-cub enclosure. Polar bear babies are fragile and have a 50 percent survival rate in the wild and in zoos, but these babies were even more at risk because they were not safely in a den. But one of the cubs did survive. Mika is doing well, and is now exploring the large enclosure with his mom Nuka, who was born in Aalborg. Mika's father Kap is unwell, and at the moment is resting inside. MiKa's name includes the Ka for Zoo Karlsruhe.

Mika's mother Nuka is half sister of the late famous Knut, as they share the same father Lars. So Mika is Knut's nephew.

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Milka (Yumki) and her cub in an early photo provided by the zoo.

Milka (Yumki) and Seridu had a girl cub in Perm Zoo in Russia on November 15. There has not been a lot of information about this little family. I do have an update, thanks to a friend in Russia. I have just found out that her name is Parma!

Milka is half sister of Pim, father of Nur, the cub in Brazil, on their mother's side. Milka is also half brother of Gogo, father of new cub Rai in Japan. 

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Shilka and Rai. Photo from the zoo's facebook page.

A boy named Rai was born November 18 to Shilka and Gogo in Yokohama Zoorasia in Japan. Rai is the second cub for the couple. Their first cub was Hochan, who lives in Tennoji Zoo in Osaka.

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Nur and Aurora - Aquario de Sao Paulo facebook page

On November 25, wildborn Aurora and Russian born Pim had a girl who was quickly  named Nur in The Aquarium of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is the only cub born in the Western Hemisphere this year, also also the Southern Hemisphere. Aurora and Pim both came from Russia originally. This is their first cub.

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Jorek and Ootek at play in Sosto Hungary
 Photo from the zoo's facebook page 

A kiss for mama Sznezsana, - photo from the zoo's facebook page - 
Monika Czombané Nádasdi

Sznezsana nursing her boys - photo from the zoo's facebook page
Monika Czombané Nádasdi

On November 27 ,  Moscow born Sznezsana and Vienna born Lloyd had twin boys Jorek and Ootek in Nyíregyházi Állatpark (Sosto Zoo) in Hungary. 

Jorek is named for the armored "panzerbear" in the Golden Compass books and movies. Ootek is an elderly Inuit character in the movie "Never Cry Wolf."

The boys' father Lloyd is also the father of Lale, Lili, and twins Anna and Elsa born in Bremerhaven Germany. Lloyd is the grandson of Aika of Tierpark Berlin and also the grandson of Omaha of the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska.

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Paula and her twins. Photo from zoo's facebook page.

Paula with daughter Sora and son Umi. Photo by Hasumi Nobuo.
You can see Paula has her grandmother Aika's big round ears.

Twins were born in Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai Japan on December 20 to Paula and Kai. The boy is named Umi and the girl is name Sora. Paula is the granddaughter of Aika of Tierpark Berlin. 

Umi means "sea" and Sora means "sky" in Japanese.