Astra and Kulu of Como Zoo

 

Astra with some watermelon
 and a coconut hidden inside the watermelon

At Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota, there lives a young polar bear couple who may be in the family way. Although they are very young (Kulu will be 7 this fall, and Astra will be 6 years old), there was some breeding last spring, so many are hopeful.

No cubs were born in the US last year, or the year before. In fact the most recent cubs, twin boys Kallik and Kallu, were born to Crystal and Nuka in Toledo on November 11, 2022.

Kulu and Astra in November, 2025,
getting along just fine.
Photo by my daughter Corinna Troth

Astra and her twin sister Laerke were born in Detroit to Suka and Nuka on November 17 2020. Laerke was raised by keepers, due to health issues, but the girls were reunited and went to Point Defiance Zoo together, for a time, then a year ago, Astra came to Como Zoo to meet Kulu, and they got along very well. 

Kulu a few weeks ago, separated from Astra.  

Kulu was born to Aurora and Lee in the Columbus Zoo on November 28. 2019. He was a single cub, so played with his mom a lot, and also with his Aunt Anana. He came to Como Zoo in 2021.

Kulu's mother Aurora and Astra's mother Suka are sisters, both are daughters of Crystal and the late Marty. Kulu's father Lee and his twin sister Anana were born in the Seneca Park Zoo to Rochester Aurora and Yukon (who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo). Suka's father Nuka and his twin brother Koda were born in Denver to Voda and Kavik. 

Astra and her beautiful reflection

There was quite a bit of amorous activity in the spring, and the two played together all summer. Now Kulu misses his girl. She has been separated from him, confined to the deep pool side, in preparation for denning up, which I am told will happen October 12. Reportedly, she has gain quite a bit of weight, which is a good sign, but not a sure sign.

Some lettuce for Astra

Getting some exercise before denning up,
Astra strolls around the right hand enclosure

In the center demonstration area,
 Kulu peers out the window at Astra,
and bangs on the door.
He misses his playmate.

Old Neil on the left, Kulu on the right, in the lefthand enclosure

Kulu walks by Polar Bear Rock

Astra has a secret smile about something, 

Kulu chasing around Astra last November.
 (Photo by Corinna Troth)

 There are no pregnancy tests for polar bears, and we will know the result when she has cubs or not, which is usually in November or December.

Old man Neil of Como Zoo

Neil, almost 31, gets only slightly into the pool at Como Zoo

 I paid a visit last week to Neil, who is the oldest male polar  bear in the US. Neil, who will be 31 years old in November, is one of four polar bears living at Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota, where they get a good deal of snow and cold winter weather, perfect for polar bears.

Neil smiles for the camera. Or is it a sneer?

Neil thinks he is too old for toys.

He is in fairly good health, but does take arthritis medication. He has been trained to give blood samples with a specially designed sleeve for bears, as long as he is distracted with goodies like his favorite lard, so keepers and vets can detect any changes in his health.

These days, Neil shares space with young Kulu, at left, and old Nan.

Neil still occasionally takes a swim, but it is seldom these days, because it is difficult to get out of the water. So he is rather dirty. 

Neil takes his time. 

When I was there visiting him a week or so ago, he lumbered around the pool, looking for some of the treats the keepers leave, carrots, lettuce, polar bear chow. He didn't interact with young Kulu, who was also out at the time. 

Neil barely steps in, then back out of the pool. 

He did put his front paws into the freshwater pool, but just to take a drink. No swimming that day. 

                                                    Just a little drink...

Neil and Nan in 2025

                                                          Nan and Neil, 2025

Since the death of his twin brother Buzz, Neil's companion in his old age has been wildborn Nan, who is a year older, and who came from the Toledo Zoo. I did not see her on my recent visit to Como Zoo. She and Buzz come out more seldom than they used to, and I have been told that afternoon nap time is sacred. She may come out in the morning, but both oldsters take a nap after lunchtime.

Neil emerges through the canvas straps of the door,
 designed to keep out the wind.
He reminds me of the Panzerbjorn of the Golden Compass stories.

                          Kulu and Neil the Panzerbjorn (Armored Bear)

Neil, behind him is the polar bear inspired climbing rock.
 Photo from last week's visit.

Happier days. Neil and his twin brother Buzz in 2016.

Neil and Buzz were born December 9, 1995 in Louisville to Skeena and Irsinak. The boys were named for the astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They moved to the San Diego Zoo for several years, and then to Como Zoo in St. Paul. They made a move to Detroit in 2008 when their Como habitat was being upgraded. While in Detroit, they became popular playmates with cub Talini, then returned to St. Paul in 2010. They have shared their habitat with several guests, including their older niece Berlin when her zoo was flooded, and then twins Suka and Sakari, while they waited for Henry Vilas to finish their new habitat. Buzz died in 2020. 

Neil, Nan and Kulu in 2022

                            Neil and Kulu frolic in the water in 2022


When young Kulu arrived in 2022, Neil was re-energized and was happy to play with the youngster in the water. He and Nan played the part of nurturing grandparents to the cub. Kulu is still at Como, and also young Astra as a mate for Kulu. Neil is now getting too old to play. 

     These days, Neil on the left, too old to play with Kulu, on the right. 

A look at polar bears of extreme age

The oldest male polar bear currently is probably UD, who will be 35 years old in November. He lives at the Seversk Zoo in Russia. UD was born at the Kazan Zoological and Botanical Garden on November 29, 1991, to mother Diksa and father Umka. His name came from his the initials of his parents. UD arrived at the Seversk Zoo in 1994 and has lived there ever since. His favorite treat is carrots, and he gets ice cream once a year on his birthday.

In Japan, old male bear Yukimaru just died a few days ago, on October 1, in Yokohama. He was born in 1992 in the wilderness, so was thought to be almost 34 years old.

Ballyba of Ehime Japan was born in Aalborg Zoo December 17, 1990, so is about to turn 36 years old. She came to Japan when she was about two years old. Ballyba has a younger sister Malik who still lives in Aalborg. Ballyba is most likely the oldest polar bear in the world. She has a daughter, Peace.

In 2018, old Boris, the retired Circus Bear in Point Defiance Zoo.

Boris the rescued circus bear, son of Churchill, born in Rostock Germany, died in 2020 at age 35 at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington. He performed in the East German Circus, and with other polar bears was sold to a Mexican Circus after the Berlin Wall fell. He and the other polar bears, who were living in terrible conditions with the Suarez Bros. Circus, were rescued by the feds when the circus wintered in US territory Puerto Rico and brought to Point Defiance Zoo in 2002.

Katjuscha in Berlin Zoo in 2018.

Katjuscha was born in Karlsruhe in 1984 and died in the Berlin Zoo at age 37, in 2021. Her companions were Tosca, Nancy, Lars, and also the famous Knut. She was sister of famous dwarf polar bear Antonia.

Famous Antonia, sassy little dwarf polar bear

Katie's sister Antonia, the famous dwarf polar bear, also born in Karlsruhe, died in 2025 at almost 36 years of age, in Gelsenkirchen.

Aika in Tierpark Berlin

Aika, grandmother and great grandmother to many bears including Flocke, was born in 1980 and died in 2016 in Tierpark Berlin at the age of 36.

Debby was born in the Russian Arctic in 1966, rescued as a cub and taken to Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg Canada, where she had six cubs, all of whom lived to an extended age. She died in 2008, at the age of 41 years old, verified by the Guinness Book of World Records (although she may have been 42, having been born in the wild and her actual birthday unsure at the time of rescue.)

Debby's daughter Winnie, who was born in Winnipeg in 1984, moved to Sendai Japan and lived to be 36 years old.

Bear Switcheroo

 

Aurora on the polar bear side.

The Columbus Zoo, home to Aurora and Lee Polar Bears, and Brutus and Buckeye Alaskan Brown Bears, has two glorious bear habitats adjacent. This summer, the zoo is experimenting with switching out the polar bears and the brown bears for enrichment purposes, as this will give each pair a kind of "vacation" to visit an area unfamiliar and interesting.  So far they have switched the bears twice, each time for just a day, to give the bears a chance to experience how the other half lives, so to speak.

Brutus (or Buckeye) sleeping on the brown bear side.

Both spacious habitats kind of face each other, with a central visitors' center in between, and a wall at the end in common behind which are the "bedrooms" of the bears. It is fairly easy to route the bears to the opposite side and the unfamiliar enclosure, so that is what the staff has done on several occasion, with hopes to continue this fun activity for all four of the bears.

Lee rubbing his scent onto the wood, after the brown bears were there the day previous.

I was at the Columbus Zoo the day after the old switcheroo, so I saw how the polar bears reacted when they were back in their familiar territory after the "invaders" had left.

Lee makes sure the furniture smells like polar bears.

Lee was quite intent on making sure his scent was on various spots around the enclosure where the brown bears had rubbed their scent. 

Aurora rubbing her scent on a large log, where the brown bears had rubbed the day before.

Aurora rubs on the  logs around the enclosure, lending her scent
to the spots the brown bears had visited. 

Aurora, too, spent a lot of time rubbing on the rocks where the brown bears had marked. 

Brown bear napping in the brown bear area.

The brown bears, however, didn't seem to care as much as whether some other bears had rubbed their scent onto logs in their side the previous day. One of the bears was inside, sleeping, and the other was slumbering in the sun, not really caring who had been there the day before.

A view of the brown bear swimming area, a shallow pool, where Lee enjoyed showing off his skills.

I gathered that on the previous day, the day of the habitat exchange, the polar bears were quite curious, smelling everything, investigating the new area. They were a great deal more active than usual. The large fish in the brown bear area had been removed to save them from being eaten by the polar bears. Lee liked swimming in the brown bear pool, which has a different orientation, not below the visitors but right in front of them, and Lee liked exhibiting his swimming skills with this new exposure, standing up for the guests even, in the shallow pool, batting around a red ball. 

The brown bears, on the other hand, enjoyed visiting the deeper pool on the polar bear side, and were quite playful, in spite of their 22 years. Usually, the brown bears are pretty quiet, but on the day of the exchange, they couldn't get enough of playing. Maybe that is why they were so quiet the next day, exhausted from all the frolicking.

Aurora in the pool, with the misting machine wafting cooling water drops over her. 

Aurora un-misted.

Aurora at her own pool,
with a crystal clear reflection. 

Lee was tired on the day after the exchange, and spent a great deal of his time napping, but taking a break to roll around on the grass, making sure it all smelled like polar bears again. 

Lee rolling his scent onto the grass

Also itching some spots.

Rolling in the grass feels so good. 

Aurora found her own sort of play, with cardboard boxes. She has figured out how to juggle the smashed pieces. 

Aurora noses the pieces of cardboard

Tossing the cardboard into the air

Making sure the cardboard smells like polar bear

More juggling with the paws

Aurora inspects the pickle, which had been put away the day before so the grizzly bears couldn't get to it. 

The grizzly bear brothers are very destructive, so all polar bear toys like the pickles had to be hidden away from the visitors. There is a display of the damage that Brutus and Buckeye did to the heavy duty window frame in their exhibit when they were younger.

What is left of the window frame from Brutus and Buckeyes' enclosure when the cubs first moved in.

On the day I visited, Lee did not swim and did not interact with Aurora, but Aurora enjoyed the pool quite a bit. 

 

Aurora poses for a picture.

Aurora lazing in the pool 

Aurora has a young fan.

Aurora and her late twin sister Anana were born in Toledo to Crystal (born in Belgium) and Marty(born in Brookfield) in 2006, so Aurora is 19 years old. She is the mother of four cubs: Nora, Nuniq, Neva and Kulu.

Lee and his twin sister Anana were born in Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY in 1999 to Aurora, born in Hogle Zoo and Yukon, born in the Cincinnati Zoo. He is 26 years old. Lee is the father of Aurora's son Kulu. 

Alaskan Brown Bears Brutus and Buckeye were orphaned in the wilds of Alaska and rescued in 2004 at just a couple of months old. They have spent almost their entire lives at the Columbus Zoo.   

Aurora climbed the big perching rock over the pool and took a nap. 

Rotating enclosures is employed at several other zoos. Brookfield Zoo in Chicago has three bear enclosures, and up until recently when they lost their brown bears, the polar bears and brown bears could be seen in any of the three habitats.

The Henry Vilas Zoo has two bear habitats, and when the grizzly sisters were hibernating, the polar bears were allowed to explore the neighboring habitat. 

The Louisville Zoo, where Lee lived for several years, has a bear habitat designed for rotating polar and brown bears, so Lee knows how this goes. Currently, grizzly bear Otis rotates with polar bears Qannik and Bo, between the big meadow area with the deep pool, and the smaller polar bear alley with a truck to climb into, stairs for exercise, pools of ice and piles of hay, across the way. 

Giving the animals a change of scene, with different layout, play opportunities and interesting scents, is a great form of enrichment.  

Lee in Polar Bear Alley in Louisville.