The beloved polar bears we lost in 2019

Fanny (Bam Bam)

We said goodbye to some very special bears this past year. Each one is unique, and a great loss.

Nord - age 17

Nord and his twin brother Felix were b0rn November 24, 2001 in Vienna, to Olga and Eric.

Nord died early in the year,  on January 8, 2019 in Tallinn, Estonia. He had been treated for over a year for a behavioral problem that led to an ulcer on his foot, and his condition had deteriorated. 

Nord and Felix's father was Eric, and their mother was Olga, mother of Olinka. For a period of a couple of months, back in 2001-02, there were four cubs in Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, newborn cubs Nord and Felix, and one year old twins Nika and Lloyd, all with the same father, and the mothers were mother and daughter.

Nord lived in Novosibirsk Russia for five years, then Moscow. He came to Tallinn in 2009

Nord was the father of Nora born in 2013, now in Vienna and a new mother.

Nord's son Aron was born in 2016 and the cub is still in Tallinn with his mother Frida. 

Nord's favorite drink was kefir, a yogurt drink. 

His twin brother Felix, father of Flocke, Milak, Gregor and Aleut and Charlotte, now lives in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

Bam Bam (Fanny) - age 31

Fanny with my mother, at the Omaha Zoo

The last of the six Olaf and Olga offspring from the zoo in Omaha, Bam Bam died  on February 20.

Bam Bam and her twin sister Patches were born November 29, 1987. For 20 years, Patches and Bam Bam happily lived together in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, where they were born. They were separated in 2007, when Patches was moved to a much poorer enclosure in Erie Pa, for breeding purposes. Patches may have become pregnant, but no cubs ever survived. In 2013 Patches was moved to a much better environment, a new enclosure in the North Carolina Zoo, where she seemed to thrive, but died a year after moving in. That was five years ago.

Bam Bam, given that nickname because she liked to bang on the door to alert her keepers, was moved, not far from where she was born, to the Kansas City Zoo in the spring of 2018. At the time, the Henry Doorly Zoo was completely redesigning Bear Canyon, and all the residents had to move elsewhere. Bam Bam said goodbye to the only home she had ever known and moved in with her great niece Berlin, who was about the same age as Bam Bam. Berlin is the granddaughter of Bam Bam's brother Shep. The Kansas City Zoo enclosure is huge and grassy and a lovely environment for polar bears.

Bam Bam enjoyed her fine new home, and got along well with Berlin, but died at the age of 31 after developing liver cancer.

Bam Bam enjoying her favorite treat 

Bam Bam really loved her celery. Her keepers would throw a variety of fruits and vegetables into the pool, and she would always go for the celery first. She loved peanut butter too. 

She was very interactive with her fans, and would swim back and forth in front of the glass so she could study them.

Olaf and Olga were the first polar bears I ever saw. I was happy to bring my mother to meet Bam Bam, one of their cubs. Bam Bam was very gracious to my mom, and paid her a great deal of attention.



Nuuk-Nordman - age 25

Nuuk - also called Nordman

Nuuk - Nordman died in March at Skandanavisk Dyrepark in Kolind Denmark at the age of 25 years. 

He and his twin sister Ilka were born on December 2, 1993 in  Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden. He was given the name Nordman. 

While in Sweden, he met a young wildborn bear named Huggies, and he fathered a cub with her in 2001. Huggies and the cub Freedom moved to the Netherlands shortly thereafter. Ilka and Nordman stayed in Kolmarden until January of 2006 when they moved to the newly opened Skandanavisk Dyrepark. The zoo in Kolmarden had decided to not keep polar bears anymore, and there was a brand new zoo waiting for them. In Denmark, he was renamed Nuuk. At the same time, a 4 year old cub bear named Nanok also moved to the new Skandanavisk Dyrepark, which had room for many bears. Nuuk and Nanok became inseparable, except during breeding season when Nanok spent all his time with Nuuk's sister Ilka, which produced some cubs. 

Nuuk and Nanok

Skandanavisk Dyrepark with room to roam

Nuuk and Ilka's mother CW was twin sister to Elvis, father of the famous Tips and Taps hybrid bears in Osnabruck. Elvis and CW were born in Memphis Tennessee. Nuuk and Ilka's grandfather Bruno (in Memphis) was also the grandfather of Cincinnati's Anana, and twins Kiska and Kolluk of Albuquerque.

Nuuk and Ilka's father Imarac was half brother to Churchill, Kara, Lisa, and Mirsha, so they were first cousins of Boris of Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Knut's father Lars, and many other polar bears of Europe.

Nuuk and Ilka were also younger siblings of the late Manasse of Finland, and the late Yukihime, and Baffin of Japan

Nuuk leaves a legacy of descendants. He fathered one cub, Freedom, with Huggies. Like her mother, Freedom is a prolific mother. She has recently given birth to another set of twins in Ouwehands, the Netherlands. She is also the mother of new father Sprinter, twins Taiko and Sesi of France, and twins Sura of Ouwehands and Akiak of Rostock. 

Nuuk passed away peacefully in his sleep. I am sure his good friend Nanok misses him greatly.


Bora - almost 33 years old

Born in Vienna, Bora spent ten years in Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, but most of her life in Prague.  She had one cub, Berta, who still lives in Prague with her mate Tom.


Nika - age 19

Nika

Nika died on her 19th birthday in Zoo Karlsruhe in Germany, gone much too soon, much too young. 

She and her twin brother Lloyd were born November 26, 2000, in Vienna to Olinka and Eric. 

Nika came to Karlsruhe in early 2002 when she was little more than a year of age. Both Nika and Lloyd left Vienna shortly after Olinka's mother Olga gave birth to another set of twins, Nord and Felix, in the same zoo with same father, Eric. 

While Lloyd went to the new Zoo Am Meer in Bremerhaven, Nika came to the brand new polar bear habitat in Zoo Karlsruhe, along with two young males, one year old Vitus from Rostock and one year old Kap from Moscow. A year later, ten year old Larissa came from nearby Stuttgart.

Kap left for Neumünster several years later, but the other three stayed in Karlsruhe, and Nika grew up with Vitus. The  three bears got along well, wrestling, chasing each other, and playing games in the large habitat.

Nika, Vitus and Larissa having fun

 Nika and Larissa were very close, and often took naps near each other.

Nika and a sleeping Larissa

There were hopes every year that Nika would have cubs, but it never happened, and several years ago, tests showed that Vitus was sterile. So Vitus and Larissa moved to Neumünster, and Kap came back to Karlsruhe in the spring of 2017.

Again, there were hopes that Nika would produced cubs, this time with Kap, but along they got along well, it just didn't happen, and now she is gone, all too soon.

Nika had been troubled for several years by ulcers on her back leg. She kept worrying at it, chewing on it. The vets tried everything, even put some blue substance on it to keep her from chewing. Her condition deteriorated suddenly, and the decision was made to prevent further suffering.

As an offspring of Olinka, Nika was related to some American bears. She was the great granddaughter of Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo, as Olinka's father was the late Omaha, one of the six offspring of Olaf and Olga, brother to Bam Bam, who also died this year. 

Blizzard - age 5

A five year old bear named Blizzard died while being examined at the Journey to Churchill at Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada. He had come to the zoo with his twin sister Star as a year old orphaned cub, having been picked up by a helicopter. He had recently been unwell, not eating, and had been put under anesthesia to assess his condition, and was given antibiotics. He was doing well, then his condition worsened again, and he was again put under anesthesia, but did not come out of it. There may have been some heart abnormalities.

There are nine other young rescued polar bears at Assiniboine Park Zoo.



Lutyik - almost age 19

Twins Liya and Lutyik were born December 9, 2000, to Uslada and the late Menschikov in St. Petersburg Russia. Uslada and Menschikov had 16 cubs, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren throughout Russia, Europe and Japan.

Lutyik of the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage died October 13, at nearly 19 years of age. He was born in St. Petersburg, and moved to Australia when he was just a cub, living there for five years with his sister Liya.

In Alaska, Lutyik was paired with Ahpun, but no cubs ever appeared and Ahpun died in early 2018.

Later in 2018, Lutyik welcomed a new companion, Cranbeary, to Anchorage.

Lutyik was suffering from a tumor on his kidney.  

Liya- age 19

As the year closes, we have just heard the sad news that Lutyik's twin sister Liya of Sea World Gold Coast in Australia has died suddenly and mysteriously. She was only 19. She was mother of Henry, born in the summer of 2012 and Mishka, who was born in the summer of 2017 and still lives in Australia. With the death of Liya, there are only theee polar bears in Australia: Mishka and her father Hudson, and another male named Nelson, who fathered Henry, now in Canada.

Rest in Peace, beautiful bears.

Farewell to Nuuk - Nordman

Nuuk

 We have lost dear Nuuk, who was originally named Nordman when he was born in Sweden.

Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Kolind Denmark posted yesterday that Nuuk had died sometime this winter, possibly related to a flu-like illness. He was 25, a senior bear.

Nuuk

 He will be greatly missed by his dear friend and constant companion Nanok. Except during breeding season, when Nanok was with Nuuk's twin sister Ilka, the two male bears were almost always together.

The park had some wistful parting words on the loss of Nuuk, saying that "Nuuk always had his own opinion about the course of things. The rest of the polar bear residents had great respect for Nuuk, and it was not something he needed to enforce. They moved completely by themselves when he came walking. Nuuk will definitely be missed."

Nuuk

 Long before Nuuk was born, Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden had opened in 1965.  The polar bear habitat opened in 1968, at the time one of the largest in the world with six polar bears. 

Twins Nordman and Ilka were born December 2, 1993 in Kolmarden. Their father was Imarec, and their mother was C.W., an American-born bear.

Nuuk's brother, the late Manasse, who lived in Ranua Finland, was father of Ranzo and Sisu. Nuuk was also brother to the late Yukihime of Yokohama; and Baffin who lives with daughter Momo in Hamamatsu Zoo. Through his father Imarec, Nuuk was half brother to Marissa in Italy, and the famous actress polar bear Agee in Canada.

And of course through his sister Ilka, Nuuk was uncle to Siku, Nuno and Nanu.

Nanok left, Nuuk right

 Nuuk's mother C.W. and her twin brother Elvis were born in the Memphis Zoo  in Tennessee, USA, and were brought to Europe when they were just a year old. Since Elvis had a musical name, my guess is that the initials C.W. might mean Country Western. The late Elvis became the father of the Osnabruck hybrid bears Tips and Taps. Taps still survives and lives in that same German zoo.

In 1998, 5 year old wildborn cub Huggies came from Ouwehands Zoo, Rhenen, the Netherlands, to Kolmarden. Huggies became acquainted with handsome young Nordman, as he was called at the time. The result was a beautiful cub, Freedom, born December 1, 2001,  When baby Freedom was just three months old, Huggies and the cub returned to the brand new polar bear exhibit at Ouwehands.

Nuuk's daughter Freedom and her cubs in Ouwehands

In January of 2006, 12  year old twins Nordman and Ilka moved from Kolmarden, and at the same time, four year old Nanok, born in Belgium, came from Ouwehands to Skandinavisk Dyrepark. The three were the new park's first polar bear residents, finding themselves in a spacious and natural polar bear paradise.

The bridge over the lake at Skandinavisk Dyrepark

Skandinavisk Dyrepark is unlike any other zoo. The visitors can watch the bears romp and play in huge meadows and a magnificent meandering wooden footbridge provides a close but safe vantage point to view the big furry residents as they swim in the lake.

Nanok in water, Nuuk on land

In Denmark, Nordman was renamed Nuuk. It seems that someone decided Nuuk's breeding days were over so he was neutered, maybe so the boy bears would get along better. 

Young Nanok had been brought to the park from Ouwehands as a mate for Ilka, and as a friend for Nuuk. The boys really hit it off and the relationship continued right up until Nuuk's death.

Ilka in water, Nuuk on land

 Nanok and Ilka have had three cubs, Siku, and twins Nuno (girl) and Nanu (boy). Nanu has moved to the Netherlands, but Siku and Nuno are still in the park, along with Mother Ilka, and a Russian bear named Boris, sometimes called Ivan. With the loss of Nuuk, there are five polar bears in the park.

Through his daughter Freedom, Nuuk left quite a legacy as  grandfather to Sprinter (now in Hanover), Sesi (in Mulhouse France), Taiko (in France), Akiak (in Rostock) and Sura (still in Ouwehands), and great grandfather to Miss Nanuk in Mulhouse.

Nanok

Since Nuuk's mother C.W. was born in Memphis, Nuuk was related to some of our American bears. C.W.'s half sister, born in Memphis, was Chinook, later of Salt Lake City's Hogle Zoo.  Chinook was mother of the late Aurora of Rochester, Anana currently of Cincinnati, and Kiska and Koluk of Albuquerque. Nuuk's aunt Chinook is also grandmother to Luna (Buffalo), Anoki (Rochester), Lee (Columbus), Anana (North Carolina) and Hayley (Memphis).

Nuuk's aunt Chinook was also mother of Denali, born in the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, who now lives in Japan. Denali is quite the favorite at the Sapporo Zoo and the father of eight cubs.  

It's sad to say goodbye to such a lovely bear. He had a good long life in a beautiful place, and had the companionship of his best friend all those years. He will be missed by so many, especially his pal Nanok. 

Farewell, Nuuk.

Ouwehands Twins get their names

Ouwehands Twins bekommen ihre Namen

Here they are, Akiak and Sura.

It is official. Everyone suspected that Freedom's twins at Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen in the Netherlands were a girl and a boy, but now it is officially announced and they have names, as of July 27.

Es ist offiziell. Die Vermutung,dass die Zwillinge von Freedom ausOuwehands in Rhenen in den Niederlanden ein Mädchen und ein Junge sind, ist nun es offiziell bekannt gegeben, und sie haben Namen bekommen am 27. Juli.

Sura and Akiak

Sura and Akiak discuss what to do with their grandmother Huggies,
 who is napping nearby

Akiak and Sura

The boy is Akiak, which means “dapper.”

The girl is Sura, which means “new life.”

Der Junge ist Akiak, das bedeutet "dapper" – oder schmucker kleiner Bursche.
Das Mädchen ist Sura, was bedeutet, "neues Leben."

Mother Freedom plays with a carton, as the kids watch.

An invitation to play

Mother Freedom and her cubs, watching out for Huggies

The cubs mother, Freedom, was born in 2001, the first cub of Huggies, who went on to have seven more cubs.

Die Mutter ist Freedom, sie wurde im Jahr 2001 geboren, sie war das erste Jungtier von Huggies, die später noch sieben weitere Jungtiere haben würde.

Grandmother Huggies, who is now age 21

Huggies was a young cub, found floating on an ice floe off Wrangel Island, back in February of 1994. She was rescued, and her major sponsor was the maker of Huggies diapers, and thus she got her name.

Huggies war ein junger Eisbär, treibend gefunden auf einer Eisscholle nahe der Wrangel-Insel, im Februar 1994. Sie wurde gerettet, und ihr Hauptsponsor war der Hersteller von Huggies Windeln, und somit erhielt sie ihren Namen.

Freedom gives a kiss to Akiak

Stay close to mom

These cubs have roots in America. Freedom's father is Nordman (Nuuk), whose mother CW was born in Memphis, USA. (Nordman's sister is Ilka, mother of Siku and her twins, at Skandanavisk Dyrepark when Nordman lives as well.)

Diese Jungen haben ihre Wurzeln in Amerika. Freedoms Vater ist Nuuk, dessen Mutter CW wurde in Memphis, USA, geboren. Nuuks Schwester ist Ilka, die Mutter von Siku und ihren Zwillingen, im Skandanavisk Dyrepark, wo auch Nuuk lebt.)

The twins

 The father of Akiak and Sura is Victor, who has recently moved to Great Britain for his retirement years. Victor is also the father of the rest of Huggies' cubs. Victor was born in 1998 to Churchill and Vienna in Rostock, and I think little Akiak is going to look just like his grandfather Churchill.

Der Vater von Akiak und Sura ist Victor, der vor kurzem nach Großbritannien umzog, dort seinen Ruhestand zu erleben. Victor ist auch der Vater der restlichen von Huggies "Jungen". Victor wurde 1998 von Churchill und Vienna in Rostock geboren, und ich denke, dass Akiak wird sicher später genau wie sein Großvater Churchill aussehen.

The cubs are playing furiously

I visited Ouwehands on May 3, and witnessed a confrontation between the generations.

Ich besuchte Ouwehands am 3. Mai und wurde Zeuge einer Auseinandersetzung zwischen den Generationen.

Huggies scares one of the cubs, who runs for safety

Huggies, on the right, growls menacingly at Freedom and her frightened cubs. There were similar confrontations on May 1 and 2.

When Freedom had twins in 2010, and Huggies had her twins in 2011, the mother and daughter and the cubs all shared the enclosure, with Huggies in charge of her cubs Luka and Lynn, and Freedom in charge of her older cubs, Sesi and Siku (now Taiko), They shared, and everything was peaceful. So Freedom and Huggies were used to being together.

Als Freedom hatte Zwillinge im Jahr 2010, und Huggies hatten ihre Zwillinge im Jahr 2011, die Mutter und der Tochter und die Jungen alle teilten das Gehäuse mit Huggies verantwortlich für ihre Jungen Luka und Lynn und Freedom war verantwortlich für ihre ältere Jungtiere, Sesi und Siku (jetzt Taiko), sie teilten sich die Anlage, und alles war friedlich. So Freedom und Huggies waren das Zusammensein und Miteinander gewöhnt.

There is a stand-off

This time, in early May, after months of separation, Huggies was allowed to be in the big enclosure with daughter Freedom and her cubs on a trial basis. It did not go as planned.

Dieses Mal, Anfang Mai, nach Monaten der Trennung, durfte Huggies im großen Gehege mit Tochter Freedom und ihren Jungen auf Probe zusammen sein. Es lief aber nicht wie geplant.

Mama will protect her babies

For most of the morning, Huggies napped alone. When she woke up, one of the cubs got too close to grandma, and there was a confrontation between mother and daughter as the cubs ran for safety.

Wie meisten am Morgen, schlief Huggies für sich allein. Als sie aufwachte, kam einer der Jungen zu nahe an die Großmutter heran, und es gab eine Auseinandersetzung zwischen Mutter und Tochter, und die Jungtiere liefen fort für ihre Sicherheit.

Freedom growls at her mother.

Freedom growled, with her frightened cubs hiding behind her. Huggies took her time, walking past her daughter and the cubs, and strolling around the pond, then taking a leisurely swim. 

Freedom brummte mit ihren verängstigten Jungen hinter ihr versteckt. Huggies nahm sich Zeit, ging vorbei an ihrer Tochter und den Jungen, und marschierte rund um den Teich, um dann ein gemütliche Runde zu schwimmen.

Huggies wanders around, asserting her authority, as Freedom
and her cubs keep away from the bossy grandmother

Akiak and Sura hide behind their mother

Freedom and her cubs watched warily, keeping their distance. Huggies finally went back to napping, after asserting her authority.

Freedom und ihre Jungen beobachteten alles sehr argwöhnisch, hielten ihre Distanze. Huggies ging schließlich zurück um ein Nickerchen zu machen, nachdem sie ihre Autorität behauptet hatte.

Huggies returns to her napping spot,
 after letting the younger generation know that she is the boss

Freedom is wary, after the confrontation. After several days of confrontations, Huggies was no longer put into the enclosure with her daughter and the cubs.

Three Bears on alert, being careful to stay away from Grandmother Huggies

Ouwehands has a fantastic new enclosure, with a big pond, and a large viewing window. You can walk around to see the bears from many angles.

Ouwehands hat eine fantastische neue Anlage, mit einem großen Teich, und einem großen Sichtfenster. Die Besuchen können beim Herumgehen die Bären aus vielen Blickwinkeln sehen.

Freedom and the cubs keep their distance from Grandma Huggies,
as she takes a swim

The new enclosure has several beautiful viewing windows

Freedom's family swims together, to the delight of the visitors

It was an exciting time to be there, to see the conflict between the generations.. I have been watching the family on Explore, and it was amazing to see the enclosure in reality. The cubs have many toys and things to climb on and under. They really enjoy playing at the edge of the water.

Es war eine aufregende Zeit, dort zu sein, um den Konflikt zwischen den Generationen zu sehen .. Ich habe die Familie mit der Webcam auf Explore beobachtet und es war erstaunlich, das Gehege in der Realität zu sehen. Die Jungen haben viele Spielsachen und Dinge zum auf und unter klettern. Sie genießen es am Rand des Wasserbeckens zu spielen.

Sura sticks her tongue out at her brother

 There are also two older enclosures, where Huggies might be found on most days.

Es gibt auch zwei ältere Anlagen, in denen Huggies vielleicht an einigen Tagen zu finden sein wird.

One of the two older enclosures. 
The cubs and Freedom play here on Mondays,
 and Huggies is here the rest of the week

The zoo has decided that, in order to keep the stress levels down, Huggies will be in the large habitat by herself on Mondays, and in one of the older habitats the rest of the week. Freedom and her cubs will not have to constantly be on watch for the crabby grandmother.

Der Zoo hat entschieden, dass, um die Stressbelastung niedrig zu halten, wird Huggies immer am Montag in der größeren Anlage zu finden sein, und in einer der älterenGehege den Rest der Woche. Freedom und ihre Jungen müssen somit nicht ständig auf der Hut sein vor der mürrischen Großmutter.

Freedom swims, and the cubs play on shore

You can watch Freedom, Akiak and Sura on the webcam at this address:

Sie können Freedom, Akiak und Sura auf der Webcam an dieser Adresse sehen:

Ouwehands polar bears at Explore

  

Freedom

Where are you going, Mom?

 Thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation.