Mother Olinka at rest now

                                                        Olinka and one of her cubs 

Olinka was a patient mother, and that quality served her well in raising eight cubs. 

Sizzel and Todz, with mother Olinka

At age 28, which is fairly senior age for a lady polar bear, she was diagnosed with an advanced liver tumor, and possibly kidney involvement, while under anesthetic on Tuesday, February 9, and in light of how unwell she had been lately, it was decided to not wake her.

She had lived at Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam since 2010, where she lived with Eric, father of all her cubs, until his death in 2015. 

Lunchtime in Rotterdam

Olinka was born November 21, 1992 in Cologne, Germany, the daughter of Olga and an American born male named Omaha.

I remember the first polar bears I ever saw, when I used to take my kids to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, many times in 1980-83. At that time, Olaf and Olga had had a cub, named Omaha, born just after my son was born. Omaha grew up and was sent off to Europe. That cub was Olinka's father. Olinka was the only cub he fathered.

Young Olinka and her mother Olga moved to Vienna, where they met Eric. He would father two cubs with Olga, and eight with Olinka.

 There in Vienna, Olinka gave birth to twins Lloyd and Nika in 2000. In 2001, Olinka's mother Olga gave birth to Felix and Nord, so to make room in Vienna, in early 2002, Nika moved to Karlsruhe, and Olinka and young Lloyd moved to Bremerhaven, where Lloyd still lives.

Then back to Vienna, where Lara was born in 2004. Both Olinka and young Lara moved to Gelsenkirchen in 2005,  where they stayed for a year. Then back to Vienna again, leaving Lara in Gelsenkirchen.  Twins Arktos and Nanuq were born in 2007 in Vienna. Then in 2010 Olinka made her final move to Rotterdam, where she gave birth to Vicks at the end of the year. In 2014, Olinka had twins Sizzel and Todz. Shortly afterwards, Eric passed away.

Seven of her eight cubs are alive and well, and have produced eight grandchildren for Olinka.

Lloyd lives in Bremerhaven, and is the father of Lale, Lili, Anna and Elsa. Nika passed away last year in Karlsruhe. Lara still lives in Gelsenkirchen and is the mother of daughter Nanook. Arktos lives in Highlands Wildlife Park and is the father of Wee Hamish. Nanuq lives in Nuremberg. Vicks lives in Mulhouse France and is the father of daughter Nanuq and a brand new cub. Sizzel lives in Rostock, and Todz lives in LeVigen France.

Russian male Wolodja has lived in Rotterdam for the past few years, and now is the only polar bear there. 

Olinka keeping an eye on Todz and Sizzel

Twins Todz and Sizzel, with mom Olinka

Olinka and daughter Sizzel

Olinka and cub

Olinka was a patient mother, here with Sizzel and Todz

It's sad to think that Olinka is gone. She was a loving, attentive mother, happy to play with her cubs, and very affectionate. A beautiful lady. She leaves a lasting legacy in her children and grandchildren.

 There are only a few polar bears of the Olaf and Olga line left in the U.S., in spite of their having seven children. I am happy to know so many of their bloodline lives on in Olinka's cubs all over Europe.

Olinka has now strolled into history. Rest in Peace, sweet lady.

Cousins Nanuk and Nanook come to town

 

Nanook of Gelsenkirchen 

Nanuk, is Inuit for ice bear or polar bear, and thus some variation of the name seems very popular when it comes to naming those cute little cubs. 

But I believe every bear should have a unique name, which shouldn't be too hard since there are so few of them in zoos. Still, they duplicate names.

Nanuq in Mulhouse, France 

Now we have a situation where two young bears who are first cousins, with almost the same name, are moving in together, along with Giovanna in Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich.

Giovanna with her daughter Quintana in Hellabrunn 

Quintana, Giovanna's three year old daughter by the late Yoghi, has just moved to Zoo La Fleche in France,  and the polar bear habitat in Munich is quite roomy, with tundra and taiga areas. Two other young female bears have been invited to make it their home. In fact, they have just arrived.

Nanook, with her mother Lara in the water, in Gelsenkirchen ZOOM. 

Nanook is the daughter of Bill and Lara, and was born in Gelsenkirchen ZOOM December 4, 2017. Bill came from Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic, and is the son of Cora and the late Umka. Lara was born in Vienna in 2004 and is the daughter of Olinka and Eric. Nanook is the only cub so far from Bill and Lara.

Sesi and Baby Nanuq 

Baby Nanuq in Mulhouse, France

Nanuq was born in Mulhouse, France November 7, 2016. Her father is Vicks, son of Olinka and Eric, born in Rotterdam Zoo in 2010 and her mother is Sesi, daughter of Freedom and the late Victor, born in Ouwehands Zoo, both in the Netherlands. Nanuq is the first and only cub from Vicks and Sesi so far.

Sesi and Nanuq 

Nanuq's father Vicks 

Thus Nanook's mother Lara is sister to Nanuq's father Vicks so they are first cousins. 

The Munich zoo plans to give Nanuq a new name, so there won't be any confusion.

All polar bears have a unique number assigned to them too, and in recent years, they all get a microchip so with just a little scanning, keepers can know they have the right bear.

Giovanna in Munich 

Giovanna is also mother to Nela and Nobby, born in 2013. Nela is in Emmen Wildlife Park in the Netherlands, and Nobby is in Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK. 

Giovanna

Giovanna is not totally unrelated to the new girls. She was born in Fasano, Italy, and her father, (Italian) Felix, was the son of Gorki and Polly. Polly's sister Aika and the same Gorki were parents of Eric, who was father of Olinka, grandmother of both Nanuq and Nanook. 

Thus Gorki is grandfather to Giovanna, and great grandfather to both Nanuq and Nanook.

Giovanna is also known as the childhood companion of the famous late Knut in the Berlin Zoo, where she was sent while Zoo Hellabrunn was building their wonderful polar bear habitat in Munich.

Olinka of Rotterdam Zoo, mother of Lara and Vicks (among others)

There is an American connection too, as Nanuk and Nanook are both descended from the famous Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo, through their Son Omaha, who is the father of Olinka,  who is the mother of Nanuq's father Vicks, and Nanook's mother Lara. 

The right side habitat in Munich has a large grassy area with a stream running through, and lots of hills and trees. The left  side is rocky, with stones to climb on, and a nice big pool for swimming. Both sides are glassed in, and can be separated, or the door can be left open so all three bears eventually can be together. 

Aika's family

Aikas Familie

Aika

For International Polar Bear Day, I am paying tribute to that grand lady Aika, age 35, and her large family all over the world. She became the mother of three sons with Gorki at Berlin Tierpark, is matriarch to 10 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

Für internationale Eisbär Tag, zahle ich Tribut an diese großen Dame Aika, 35 Jahre alt, und ihrer großen Familie auf der ganzen Welt. Sie wurde die Mutter von drei Söhnen mit Gorki in Berlin Tierpark ist Matriarchin bis 10 Enkelkinder, 6 Urenkel und ein Ur-Ur-Enkel.

Aika in all her glory

Aika may very well be the oldest polar bear alive, too. She was born November 24, 1980, in Katowice, Poland, which makes her 35 years old.

Es ist sehr gut möglich dass Aika die älteste Eisbärin ist die noch am Leben ist. Sie war am 24 November 1980 geboren, in Katowice, Polen, sie ist nun schon 35 Jahre alt.

Aika loves to sit on her favorite rock at the Tierpark Berlin

When she was two years old, she moved the Tierpark Berlin: that was in 1982.

Als sie zwei Jahre alt war, zog sie um in den Tierpark Berlin, das war im Jahr 1982.

Aika

In 1986 she gave birth to Bjorn-Heinrich, who fathered three cubs. He lived for a time in Palic, Serbia, and finally died in 2011 at the age of 25. He fathered daughters Yuki (1999) and Paula (2004), who are in Japan, and son Yorik (2006), who lives in Palic, after a time in Sosto Zoo in Hungary. None of these three have had offspring so far. Paula has lived at the zoo in Sendai since 2005, and was there at the time of the Tsunami in 2012. Those were tragic times in Sendai  and they were lucky the Tsunami stopped short of the zoo.

Im Jahr 1986 gebar sie Bjorn-Heinrich, der dann später drei Jungen gezeugt hat. Er lebte eine Zeit lang in Palic, Serbien und starb schließlich im Jahre 2011 im Alter von 25. Er hat die Töchter Yuki gezeugt (1999) und Paula (2004), welche in Japan sind, und Sohn Yorik (2006), der in Palic lebt nach einer gewissen Zeit dann im in Sosto Zoo in Ungarn. Keiner dieser drei Nachkömmlinge hatte bilang Nachkommen. Paula lebt seit 2005 im Zoo in Sendai und war zum Zeitpunkt des Tsunami im Jahr 2012 betroffen. Das waren tragische Zeiten in Sendai, und sie hatten das große Glück, die Tsunamiflutwelle wurde kurz vor dem Zoo gestoppt.

Aika takes a stroll

.November 1990 – son Hokoto, originally named Banause (which means Philistine) in Berlin – lived in Kagoshima Japan, died in March of 2015 at the age of 24. 

November 1990 - Sohn Hokoto, ursprünglich genannt Banause (das bedeutet Philister ) in Berlin - lebte in Kagoshima Japan, starb im März 2015 im Alter von 24.

Aika on her favorite perch

And now we come to Eric, who was born December 8, 1993 in Berlin. When he was just under one year old, he was sent to Vienna, where he met a two year girl cub Olinka, and her mother Olga, who was wildborn.  Olinka had an American born father, Omaha.

Und nun kommen wir zu Eric, der 8. Dezember geboren wurde, 1993 in Berlin. Als er knapp ein Jahr alt war, wurde er nach Wien geschickt, wo er ein zweijähriges Eisbären Mädchen Olinka traf, und ihre Mutter Olga, die in der Wildnis geboren war. Olinka hatte einen in Amerika geborenen Vater namens Omaha.

Aika

 Eric lived happily with the mother and daughter, and in 2000, Olinka and Eric gave birth to twins, Lloyd and Nika in November of 2000. 

Eric lebte glücklich mit der Mutter und der Tochter, und im Jahr 2000, Olinka und Eric gebaren Zwillinge, Lloyd und Nika im November 2000.

Eric's son Lloyd, twin of Nika. He lives in Bremerhaven, Germany

Lloyd's daughter Lale. She now lives in Emmen, the Netherlands

Erick's daughter Nika, twin of Lloyd. She lives in Karlsruhe, Germany

Nika now lives in Karsruhe. Lloyd is the father of Lale of Bremerhaven, and a new daughter just born, with Valeska. Lale is now in Emmen.

Nika lebt heute in Karlsruhe. Lloyd ist der Vater von Lale aus dem Zoo in Bremerhaven und eine neue Tochter ist im Winter 2015 gerade geboren worden, von Valeska. Lale ist jetzt in Emmen in den Niederlanden.

Eric's son Felix, who now lives in Rhenen, Netherlands

The following year, in 2001, Eric fathered cubs with Olga, and that was Nord and Felix. These are the only cubs he had with the mother, Olga. Nord lives in Tallin, Estonia.

Im folgenden Jahr, 2001, zeugte Eric wieder Jungtiere mit Olga, und das waren Nord und Felix. Dies sind die einzigen Jungtiere, die er mit der Mutter hatte. Nord lebt in Tallin, Estland.

Felix's daughter Flocke and her daughter Hope.
 They live on the Riviera in France

 Felix is the father of Flocke, Gregor, Aleut and Charlotte, all born in Nuremburg with Vera, and also daughters Milak with Victoria and the late Augo with Malik in Aalborg Denmark. Milak now lives in Canada. Flocke gave birth to Hope last year in Antibes, France, with Rasputin, so Aika is Hope's great great grandmother.

Felix ist der Vater von Flocke, Gregor, Aleut und Charlotte, alle geboren in im Tierpark in Nürnberg mit Vera, und und er zeugte auch eine Tochter namens Milak mit Victoria und der leider verstorbenen Augo mit Malik im Aalborg Zoo in Dänemark. Milak lebt heute inm Zoo Sauvage St.Felicien Quebec, Kanada. Flocke gebar im vergangenen Jahr in Antibes, Frankreich Eisbärmädchen Hope, Vater ist Rasputin, somit ist Aika Hopes Ur- Urgroßmutter.

Milak, daughter of Felix. She was born in Denmark and now lives in Canada

Felix's daughter Charlotte. She is at home in Nuremburg

Felix's sons Aleut and Gregor. The twins now live in Warsaw, Poland

Felix's daughter Augo (sadly died from accidental fall)

Eric's daughter Lara. She lives in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Olinka and Eric had daughter Lara in 2004 and twins Arktos and Nanuq in 2007. Lara lives in Gelsenkirchen, Arktos has moved to Scotland, and Nanuq lives in Hanover.

Olinka und Eric bekamen Tochter Lara im Jahr 2004 und die Zwillinge Arktos und Nanuq dann in 2007. Lara lebt in Gelsenkirchen, und man hat Arktos nach Schottland versandt, und Nanuq lebt in Hannover Erlebnis Zoo.

Eric's son Nanuq, twin of Arktos He lives in Hannover. 
Arktos lives in Scotland

Eric lived in Vienna until the end of 2008, when he moved to Rotterdam. Olinka moved to Rotterdam in the spring of 2010, and that fall, they had Vicks, who became famous when he playfully threw a rock at the expensive giant viewing window of the polar bear pool, and broke it. Naughty Vicks! 

Eric lebte in Wien bis Ende 2008, als er dann nach Rotterdam verlegt wurde. Olinka wurde ebenso nach Rotterdam im Frühjahr 2010 versandt, und im Herbst bekamen sie Vicks, der berühmt wurde, als er spielerisch einen Stein im Wasser warf und die große Fensterscheibe des Eisbären Pools traf und diese zersplitterte in viele kleine Scherben. Frecher Vicks!

Erick's son and daughter Todz and Sizzel. They live in Rotterdam

Olinka gave birth to twins again in the fall of 2014, but Eric was not well, and he died in February of 2015. The cubs were named Todz (boy) and Sizzel (girl), and they are still with their mother in Rotterdam.

Olinka gebar nochmals Zwillinge im Herbst 2014, aber Eric ging es gar nicht mehr gut, und er starb im Februar 2015. Die Jungtiere wurden Todz genannt (Junge) und Sizzel (Mädchen), und sie sind immer noch mit ihrer Mutter in Rotterdam.

Aika (left) watches Wolodja and Tonja in Berlin Tierpark

Aika has an adopted family too, in Berlin Tierpark. When two year old Tanja arrived from Moscow, old Aika became young again by playing games with the young cub. Later, another two year old cub Wololdja, arrived also from Moscow, and she made him feel welcome too.

Aika bekam dann eine Adoptivfamilie, im Berlin Tierpark. Als die zwei Jahre alte Tanja aus Moskau angekommen war, wurde dieschon getagte alte Aika wurde wieder jung durch Spiele mit der jungen Eisbärin. Später kam noch ein weiteres Jungtier hinzu, sein Name ist Wololdja, er kam auch aus Moskau, und sie nahm ihn auch willkommen.

 At  age 35, Aika stille plays and has fun with the toys that are now allowed in the Berlin zoos. She truly has an international family, with grandchildren all over the world.

Im Alter von 35, spielt Aika immer noch und hat Spaß mit dem Spielzeug, das jetzt in den Berliner Zoos erlaubt sind. Sie hat wirklich eine internationale Familie, mit Enkelkindern auf der ganzen Welt.

Thank you to Marga Andresen-Gransow for the German translation.

Elvis the King of Gelsenkirchen ZOOM

As we pause to observe the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it is time to visit his namesake, Elvis the Polar Bear.

This Elvis is alive and well and living in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Like the original Elvis, this hulking guy has a swagger and a sneer, and also calls Memphis Tennessee his hometown.

This Elvis loves his carrots. 

Like any popular celebrity, Elvis the Polar Bear was at the center of a scandal in his younger days! A love triangle of sorts.

Elvis was born in the Memphis Zoo, Memphis Tennessee, USA, in November of 1979, two years after the death of the original Elvis, and was named in honor of the late King. This cub's parents were Olga and Bruno.

When Elvis was a year old, he moved to Zoo Osnabrück in Germany, where he lived happily for many years with lady polar bear Sonja. They did produce cubs, but none survived.

Also part of the Osnabrück bear group were brown and black bears, in a strange arrangement, living together with the polar bears. Living in this bear commune were European Brown Bear sisters named Susi and Ossi.

After 24 years of living together, there was a surprise in January of 2004. Susi gave birth to twin cubs. Tips (the girl) and Taps (the boy) were Hybrids, half Polar Bear, half European Brown Bear. At first the birth of these hybrid cubs was something of a scandal and an embarrassment to the zoo, but public attitudes quickly shifted so that today Zoo Osnabrück is very proud of their rare and quite beautiful silvery bears. Many visitors come to Zoo Osnabrück just to see this unique accidental pair.

Tips and Taps have also become ambassadors of climate change awareness. Since climate change is causing more and more hybrid bears to appear in the wild, scientists are even more interested in studying Tips and Taps.

Elvis the Polar Bear gives us his best Elvis "sneer."

Elvis spends his days sleeping, playing with toys, and enjoying yummy snacks.

Elvis moved the Gelsenkirchen ZOOM in June of 2005. He is now living like a king in a luxurious environment in the Gelsenkirchen Zoo with a elderly lady friend, Fanny, who is one year older than Elvis. She also has a connection to USA bears. Fanny is the mother of Charly, born in 1995 in the Hamburg, Germany zoo. Charly has been living at Sea World in San Diego since 1997.

Fanny

Elvis and Fanny are enjoying their sunset years in a very nice zoo, which is also home to young lovers Bill and Lara, as well as the cute and sassy little Antonia, also a remarkable little bear as she is about a third the size of a normal bear. She seemed to be normal when she was born, and was very bold and rude, but failed to grow at a normal rate. So anyone visiting Gelsenkirchen can enjoy watching five bears: amorous young bears, elderly bears, and a special and very cute little dwarf bear.

Bill and Lara enjoy a beautiful new home at Gelsenkirchen Zoom

 On the day I visited last year, Bill and Lara were swimming and walking and very active, but darling little Antonia spent the entire afternoon taking a nap.

Antonia the dwarf bear sleeps in her private enclosure at Gelsenkirchen Zoom

As offspring of Olga and Bruno in the Memphis Zoo, Elvis is great uncle to Aurora of the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. Haley, one of Aurora's cubs, is now living in the Memphis Zoo, which is the birthplace of her Great Uncle Elvis. So visitors to the Memphis Zoo can still see a relative of Elvis the King (Polar Bear).

Elvis admires his reflection as he takes a drink.

Elvis is now 33 almost years old, quite elderly for a polar bear. Fanny is almost 34. They are doing very well for their age, and although they move more slowly than younger bears, they are still active in interested in life.