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.

Suka and Haley, the Ladies of Detroit

 

                    Suka and Haley looking for snacks in the Tundra area.

                      Hey Suka, there's an apple in the crack in the wall. 

We have three polar bears at the Detroit Zoo these days: the male Kali, and the girls, Suka and Haley. 

Haley and Suka on the Pack Ice side of the Arctic Ring of Life.

Haley with a carrot, in the underwater tunnel viewing area.

Haley and Suka are about the same size, and similar fur.

Haley's paws are spotty and mostly pink. 

 You can tell them apart when they are in the viewing tunnel, for Haley has lack of pigment in her paw pads. 

Haley swims laps in the left hand corner
of the underwater viewing area.

 Haley also swims a particular recognizable lap, that Suka 

does not. Plus, if you see one of the girls approaching Kali, it is probably Haley. 

Suka in the right hand corner of the underwater viewing area.

Suka has been there the longest, since. 2018. She was born on November 21, 2012, in the Toledo Zoo, along with her twin brother Sakari, who is now in Buffalo. Their parents are Crystal and the late Marty. 

Suka and Sakari as cubs in Toledo.

The twins moved to Como Zoo in St. Paul in 2014 for about six months, while the new polar bear enclosure in Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison Wisconsin was being finished.

Suka (front) and Sakari in 2015 in Henry Vilas. 

Sakari moved out first, going to Buffalo as a mate for Luna (same Luna Kali lived with as a cub), but Suka stayed at Henry Vilas for three years, sharing space with older lady Berit for a time. In 2018 Suka moved to Detroit, and in 2020 she gave birth to twin girls, Astra and Laerke. 

Astra and Suka in 2021

Nuka across the way, with Suka and Astra in 2021 in Detroit.

Grizzly cub Jebbie came to Detroit as companion for Laerke,
who was being raised by keepers.

Nuka, now in Toledo, is father of the twin girls born in Detroit. Their mother Suka will be 14 years old this fall.

Haley in 2012 in Memphis.

Haley was born in Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY to Aurora and Yukon, on November 15, 2002, the last of their four cubs.  In 2005 she moved to Brookfield Zoo to become acquainted with Peyton, a young male there, and together they moved to Memphis in 2006, but never did produce cubs. She moved to Detroit in March of 2025. She will be 24 years old this fall, a little old to be having her first cubs, but we remain hopeful.

Kali, the current male at the Detroit Zoo, was rescued as an orphan in Alaska, and spent his first two years at the Buffalo Zoo being companion to Luna of the same age.

Kali as a just rescued Alaskan cub in the Buffalo Zoo in 2015.

Kali lived alone in St. Louis for a decade before coming to the Toledo Zoo for a short stay and very little romance, and then to the Detroit Zoo where it is hoped he will be more successful with these two lady bears.

Kali in 2016 in the St. Louis Zoo. 

Kali in Detroit

Suka's mother Crystal, the older lady bear in Toledo, did not like 12 year old unsocialized Kali. Everyone knew she liked Nuka very well, as they had lived happily together and produced twin cubs, so the two male bears, Nuka and Kali,  traded places at the beginning of 2026.

Haley in her corner, Kali watches her from atop the tube in the underwater viewing area. 

At first it was a rocky relationship between the two Detroit girls and the new guy, as Kali had not spent a great deal of time with other bears. He had grown up with Luna in the Buffalo Zoo at the beginning, that was a long time ago, and after he moved to the St. Louis Zoo,  he was all alone for over a decade so as an adult, he had not known another bear. Kali didn't know how to live together with the girls. 

There was some breeding going on early in the year with both lady bears during breeding season, but Kali was definitely an amateur, and needed more practice. It is doubtful that either Suka or Haley is pregnant, but we can hope. Next year, he will know better what he is doing. In any case, the Detroit Zoo is currently building a second den for Haley. Both girls will be denned up this fall, just in case.

In July, Haley in front, Kali at a distance.
She tries to make friends with him. 

After breeding season, Suka has been doing her best to avoid Kali. Haley has made him her project, however, trying to socialize him. 

Suka and Haley in the Tundra area of the Arctic Ring of Life in Detroit.

Haley and Suka in the Pack Ice part of the 4 acre polar bear habitat.

Haley wearing the tube. Note her paw coloration. 

The girls swim their underwater ballet together,
using a tube for even more fun.

Haley loves to swim in the Detroit pool.
 In Memphis, she did not have a deep pool with all the
 caves and pillars for hiding. This is great fun for her. 

Suka went diving and found a piece of melon.

We will be watching to see how Kali's social skills improve as Haley teaches him how to be a successful male bear in a relationship with two lady bears.

We will also be watching to see if the outside chance for a cub in Detroit comes true this spring. 

Nuka entertains his fans in Toledo

Nuka seems to be a happy fellow.

21 year old Nuka knows he's a popular fellow, and is happy to see his fans when they come to visit him in the Toledo Zoo. Especially because Ice Queen Crystal has chosen to remain behind the scenes for most of the summer, only making rare appearances.

I visited Nuka a few weeks ago in Toledo. On both days I was there, he was out and about, greeting the visitors, strolling about and swimming. Crystal remained hidden.

During my Toledo visit, Nuka came over to one of the windows where I was waiting with my camera, and posed quite deliberately for me, looking me right in the eye. Maybe he remembered me from my visits to Detroit?

My private moment with Nuka

Gazing into my camera lens.

A little smile from Nuka

 One of the employees showed me a photo of Crystal taken the night before, as she had come out during a Friday night private event but only napped in the den. Crystal has the choice of coming out. The people who know her, the employees, say she will probably come out more often in the fall, when cooler weather returns. 

Nuka contemplates diving into the pool.

Nuka does his pacing, to be sure, back and forth between the den entrance and the public window at the end of the enclosure. He also enjoys swimming his laps, jumping into the chilled pool and coming face to face with the visitors in the underwater viewing area. 

Entertaining the visitors.

Sometimes he plays with the visitors through the glass, especially the kids. Nuka is a people person.

Blowing bubbles, always a big hit

Nuka and his cousin Lee (in the Columbus Zoo) are the only male bears living in the US who have fathered cubs.  Nuka is the father of Astra and Laerke, girls born in the Detroit Zoo in 2020, and Kallik and Kallu, boys born in the Toledo Zoo in 2022. The mother of the Detroit twins is Suka, and her mother Crystal is mother of the Toledo twins. 

Up close and personal with Nuka

Nuka's twin brother Koda remains in Memphis alone. It is a mystery to me why he is not in a breeding situation, but there he is, alone.

Nuka up close.

Nuka and his twin brother Koda were born November 25, 2004, in Denver, to Voda and Kavek, who are also parents of Cranbeary of the Alaska Zoo, born three years earlier.

Nuka through the door of the den in Toledo.

Nuka and his twin brother Koda moved to Pittsburgh when they were two years old, and then in 2011 Nuka moved to Detroit alone, leaving Koda in Pittsburgh. In Detroit, Nuka lived with Talini for a time, and then Suka.

Suka and daughter Astra in 2021 Detroit.

Suka and Nuka's other daughter Laerke in 2021, Detroit. Laerke had health difficulties shortly after birth and was raised by keepers. She had a rescued grizzly bear companion Jebbie to play with. 

When Suka had her twins, Nuka moved to Toledo, where he fathered Kallik and Kallu, then back to Detroit.

Crystal in 2023, nursing the cubs in the den where visitors could watch. 

Underwater portrait of Nuka in Toledo.

When Crystal's new mate wildborn Kali did not work out, the two male bears were switched, and Nuka came back to Toledo, where he is today. They knew that Crystal liked Nuka, and she wasn't fond of Kali at all. Crystal is almost 28 years old, and has had nine cubs. She deserves a comfortable retirement, but the Species Survival program still has hopes that they can breed her. 

Nuka walking the boundary in Detroit in 2021,
with Suka and young Astra watching Dad.

Nuka also has a lot of fans in Detroit, where he lived for many years, and fathered twin girls Astra and Laerke with Crystal's daughter Suka. 

Nuka always has a friendly smile.

When Suka was busy raising Astra, and leaving Laerke to the care of the keepers, Nuka made the move to Toledo where he spent time with Suka's mother Crystal. The result was twin boys Kallik and Kallu, born in 2022.  

Kallik and Kallu at age 2 in Toledo

Nuka in Toledo

Nuka in Toledo. He will be 22 this fall.

Crystal (center) and her cubs Kallik and Kallu,
 fathered by Nuka in Toledo. 

Crystal at the cubs' birthday party. Crystal is in the middle.

Nuka went through a bad time when his reputation suffered after the death of Anana, who had moved to Detroit from Cincinnati. At first it was reported that Nuka, gentle Nuka, had killed her in a breeding attempt. It was later found, but not widely reported, that Anana had suffered heart failure, nothing to do with Nuka. Any wounds she had on her head resulted from Nuka trying to wake her up. 

Nuka's cubs are now mostly grown and in other zoos. 

Astra is in Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota. Laerke is in Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington. Kallik is in the Oregon Zoo in Portland, and Kallu is in the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri. 

A little family history:

Who is Nuka related to?

A bear named Clark was the great grandfather of Nuka and Koda, and also Cranbeary. 

 Voda, mother of Cranbeary, and twins Nuka and Koda, was daughter of Commodore who was born in Brookfield Zoo in 1972, the son of Clark.  This Clark was also the father of  the famous mother Arki, born in 1984 in the Brookfield Zoo and ending her days at the Louisville Zoo, and also of  Skeena, born in the Louisville Zoo in 1974. 

Arki became the mother of Marty, who was the father of all of Crystal's cubs in Toledo except for the last set of twins. So Marty and Nuka are related. Grandfather of Marty is Clark, who is great grandfather of Nuka. 

Skeena of Louisville was the mother of  twins Neil and Buzz, born in Louisville in 1995, and Neil is now in the Como Zoo;  Icee, who fathered twins Berlin and Yukon in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1989; Ulu born in Louisville in 1985 and the mother of Berit, longtime Cincinnati Zoo resident now living in Henry Vilas Zoo; and triplets Aquila, Aurora, Arcturus born in the Louisville Zoo in 1992. Of these bears, only Yukon has offspring going forward. He was the father of Aurora's four cubs: Lee of Columbus, Haley of Detroit, Anana of North Carolina, and Anoki of Rochester Of these four, only Lee of Columbus has offspring: Kulu now in Como Zoo.