Adieu lovely Larissa

Larissa in Karlsruhe

                                                      Larissa

Larissa would have been 36 years old this December, most likely the oldest polar bear on the planet. The longtime companion of Vitus suffered from the plagues of old age, and died on July 10 in Neumünster Zoo in Germany. Larissa and Vitus lived together in Karlsruhe for 14 years before they moved together to Neumünster in 2017, where they enjoyed each others' company for nine more years.

                                     

                                       Vitus, Larissa and Nika in Karlsruhe

Larissa was born to Mien and Theo in Rotterdam Zoo on December 5, 1990. She moved to Paris when she was almost two years old, and then after about a year to der Wilhelma in  Stuttgart where she lived for ten years. She came to Karlsruhe in 2003 where three year old Vitus was already living. Rounding out the longtime trio was Nika, same age as Vitus. It was expected that this trio would restart the polar bear breeding reputation of Zoo Karlsruhe, but these three beautiful bears never did produce any cubs, and later it was found that Vitus could not father cubs. 

                                   Larissa on the left, Nika on the right

Larissa's mother Mien later gave birth in Rotterdam to a son named Taco, half brother of Larissa. Taco later became well known for his poor living conditions in Chile, which is not a suitable place for a polar bear. He passed away in Santiago at the age of 19. Larissa had no other relatives.  

 

Larissa on the left, Nika on the right, were close buddies.

Larissa and Nika had quite a strong bond of friendship, and sought to be near one another. When Larissa and Vitus retired to Neumünster in 2017, leaving Nika behind, it was probably hard on all three.

Vitus and his girls, Larissa and Nika

Nika, still in Karlsruhe, died in 2019 of a wound on her leg, a wound that would not heal. 

                      Nika on the left, while Larissa lounges on the right

Sometimes the three of them would chase each other around, play and pretend to fight.  

Now with Nika gone in 2019 and Larissa last week, it is just Vitus left of this happy trio. He is still in Neumünster, but all alone there, most likely swimming his laps as he loves to do. He will be 26 this winter.

Larissa as I last saw her in Neumünster, she was separated behind a barrier that day. 

              Nika top, and Larissa, hiding her nose in her cute paws.

    My friend Pim told me how to tell them apart, that Larissa looked older, was more round and fluffy than Nika, and had darker fur. 

                               The round fluffy lady Larissa 

A sad farewell to a sweet lady bear. The oldest polar bear in the world. 

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.

Sizzel and Todz having fun

Sizzel und Todz haben Spaß

Todz and Sizzel dance and play

In the historic Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) you will find Olinka and her two cubs, born December 2, 2014. Their father Eric died in February, when the cubs were just a few months old. He was only 22 years old.

Im historischen Rotterdam Zoo (Blijdorp) finden Sie Olinka und ihren zwei Jungen, geboren am 2. Dezember 2014. Ihr Vater Eric starb im Februar, als die Jungen nur ein paar Monate alt waren. Er war erst 22 Jahre alt.

Mother Olinka plays referee as
 Sizzel wrestles brother Todz to the ground

Todz sits on the shore. Olinka wants him to swim

The zoo has just announced that the twins are a girl and a boy, and their name are Sizzel and Todz. Sizzel, the girl, seems to be more adventurous. Todz is more likely to wait at the side of the pool until his mother and sister pull him in.

Der Zoo hat soeben verkündigt, dass die Zwillinge ein Junge und ein Mädchen sind, und ihre Namen sind Sizzel und Todz. Sizzel, das Mädchen, scheint mehr Abenteuerlustig zu sein. Todz wartet lieber an der Seite des Pools, bis seine Mutter und Schwester ihn zu sich ins Wasser ziehen.

Mama Olinka tries to get Todz to come into the pool.

The twins love to play and fight

Olinka's father was an American bear, the late Omaha, named after the city in which he was born at the Henry Doorley Zoo in the USA. Omaha's parents were Olaf and Olga, who were the parents of many cubs, including the late Patches of the North Carolina Zoo, and Bam Bam, still in Omaha. Thus little Sizzel and Todz are related to many of the American bears.

Olinka Vater war ein amerikanischer Eisbär, der verstorbene Omaha, benannt nach der Stadt, in der er im Henry Doorley Zoo in den USA geboren wurde. Omahas Eltern waren Olaf und Olga, die die Eltern von vielen Jungtieren waren, einschließlich der inzwischen verstorbenen Patches des North Carolina Zoo und Bam Bam, welcher noch in Omaha lebt. Daher sind Sizzel und Todz mit sehr vielen der amerikanischen Eisbären verwandt.

Olinka and her active twins

Sizzel and Todz' grandmother on their father's side is Aika, who still lives in Tierpark Berlin.

Sizzel und Todz 'Großmutter' auf der Seite ihres Vaters ist Aika, die immer noch in Tierpark Berlin lebt.

Sizzel plays with a plastic cub, until a blackbird steals it away

Olinka And Eric have had six other cubs. Sizzel and Todz are sister and brother to Lloyd, Nika, Lara, Arktos, Nanuq and Vicks. We all remember Vicks for being the cub who threw rocks at the pool window and shattered the window, which did not totally break, but had to be replaced at great expense. Since that incident, all rocks of that size have been removed.

Olinka und Eric hatten sechs anderen Jungtiere gezeugt. Sizzel und Todz sind Schwester und Bruder von Lloyd, Nika, Lara, Arktos, Nanuq und Vicks. Wir alle erinnern uns anVicks, dass das Jungtier einen großen Stein an das Pool-Fenster warf und das Fenster zersplittern ließ, das jedoch nicht völlig zerbrechen konnte, die Scheibe musste aber mit großem Aufwand ausgetauscht werden. Seit diesem Vorfall wurden alle Steine dieser Größe aus dem Eisbärenbecken entfernt.

Video of Vicks breaking window

Sizzel, Todz and Mama Olinka

In 2001 Rotterdam Zoo opened a remarkable new area, housing an immense aquarium called the Oceanium, a butterfly dome, a new entrance, and new polar bear accommodations called Arctica, which also is home to arctic foxes. The area is spacious and well planned. There are two polar bear enclosures, so father Eric had his own place while Olinka raised the cubs. Sadly, Eric's enclosure is now empty.

Im Jahr 2001 eröffnet der Rotterdam Zoo einen bemerkenswerten neuen Bereich, ein Gehege samt einem riesige Aquarium genannt Oceanium, einen Schmetterlingskuppel, einen neuen Eingang und neue Eisbären Unterkünfte genannt Arctica, das ist auch die Heimat von Polarfüchsen. Die Anlage ist geräumig und gut geplant. Es gibt zwei Eisbären-Gehege, so hatte Vater Eric seinen eigenen Platz, während Olinka nebenan die Jungtiere aufziehen konnte. Leider ist Erics Gehege nun leer.

The pool is very wide and deep, plenty of room for waterplay.
 Here is Olinka swimming, and little Todz is on the shore

The second spacious area at Rotterdam Zoo,
 where Eric sometimes lived, is now empty.

Eric was also the father of Felix (now in Stuttgart), so Felix is half brother to Sizzel and Todz.

Eric war auch der Vater von Felix, so Felix ist Halbbruder zur Sizzel und Todz.

Sizzel swimming in the big pool

Olinka with her cubs

Here's a fun toy

Sizzel swimming with a piece of something?

Olinka in the sand pit, happily nursing her cubs

Todz chases his sister

The polar bear enclosure has grassy knolls, a sand pit where Olinka enjoys nursing her cubs, and a deep and vast diving pool, with an interior viewing area showcased by very tall, specially made windows. There are massive dead trees on which to climb, and many blackbirds to chase. The cubs also like climbing up and down the rocky cliff at the back. The twins make good use of the tremendous diving pool at the zoo. 

Die Eisbärenanlage hat Grashügel, einen Sandkasten, wo Olinka es genießt ihre Jungen zu versorgen, und ein tiefes und große Tauchbecken, mit einer im Inneren Sichtfläche durch sehr hoch, speziell angefertigte Fenster präsentiert. Es gibt riesige tote Bäume, auf denen Viel zum klettern ist, und viele Amseln zum jagen sind. Die Jungtiere klettern auch nach sehr gern oben und unter die Felswand an der Rückseite. Die Zwillinge machen guten Gebrauch vom enormen Sprungbecken im Zoo.

Sizzle hiding behind mom's legs

Sizzel and Todz spend a lot of time wrestling with and chasing each other. These cubs know how to have a good time. Olinka is very patient. She plays with them in the water, and later sits serenely on the grassy knoll while the cubs climb over her, fighting and biting. Olinka just smiles and lets the cubs play.

Sizzel und Todz verbringen viel Zeit mit Ringkämpfen und jagen einander. Diese Jungtiere wissen, wie man eine gute Zeit haben kann. Olinka ist sehr geduldig. Sie spielt mit ihnen im Wasser und später liegt sie gelassen auf dem Grashügel, während die Jungtiere über sie, klettern, miteinander kämpfen und sich beißen. Olinka lächelt nur und lässt die Jungtiere spielen.

A pyramid of bears. Olinka ignores the fight on her back

German translation thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow.

Springtime cub tour of Europe

I saw six of the seven cubs on my springtime tour of polar bear cubs in Europe. Here is a little look at the families I met.

Hope, daughter of Flocke and Rasputin, at Marineland, Antibes, France

Hope

Tiny Hope is the new princess at Marineland in Antibes, France. She is the daughter of Flocke and Raspi, and was born November 26, 2014.

She is a tiny little ball of energy, always playing and swimming and running. She is a lot like her father Raspi.

Hope and her mirror toy

Hope in the ice cave

Hope finds a funny stick

Flocke and her daughter Hope

Freedom's twins

The lively cubs live in Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen, Netherlands. Their father Victor now lives in England. Grandmother Huggies has recently joined her daughter Freedom and her grandchildren in the big enclosure. I am pretty sure the twins are a boy and a girl. They have no names yet. They were born November 22, 2014. You can watch them on Explore.com webcam, daily.

Explore webcam

Freedom and her cubs at Ouwehands Dyrepark in the Netherlands

Freedom plays and the cubs watch. My guess is a boy (left) and a girl (center)

Freedom and her cubs

Freedom and her cubs

Olinka's twins

In Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) you will find Olinka and her two children, born December 2, 2014. Their father Eric died in February, much too young. The twins make good use of the tremendous diving pool at the zoo. I think we have a boy and a girl here too, but it is only my guess. The have no names yet.

Cubs in Rotterdam Zoo

Olinka nurses her cubs

Little boy and little girl in Rotterdam?

Rotterdam Zoo has a tremendous diving pool

Mama Olinka gets some love

Mama Olinka and the cubs

Olinka and one of her twins

Charlotte

Vera and Felix have a lovely daughter named Charlotte, in the Nuremburg Tiergarten. Father Felix has moved to Wilhelma in Stuttgart, so Charlotte and Mother Vera have the use of both large enclosures. Charlotte is quite round, and loves to eat. She is the sister of the famous Flocke, and also Gregor and Aleut. She was born November 21, 2014.

Charlotte of Nuremburg Tiergarten

Charlotte and her mother Vera

Like mother, like daughter. Charlotte and Vera

Charlotte and her crazy egg

Charlotte gets some lunch

I will have separate reports on these cubs as time goes on. This is just a sneak peak.

Unfortunately, because of the DB rail strike while I was in Germany, I was unable to go to Rostock to see Fiete, who was born December 3, 2014. I will see him and his mother Vilma on my next visit.