Kalluk was king of the hill in San Diego

Chinook on the left, and Kalluk

The famous trio of the San Diego zoo has lost the magnificent Kalluk, who died at the age of 24, due to diseases of old age.

Stare down with Kalluk

 The world famous San Diego Zoo's polar bear habitat, Polar Bear Plunge, sits atop a hill far from the entrance, and for over two decades, Kalluk has been the king of that hill, with his companions sister Tatqiq and mate Chinook. The famous ornate California Tower of Balboa Park loomed in the distance as visitors could watch the polar bears frolic.

Kalluk under the California Tower in San Diego's El Prado.

Chinook (hidden),  Kalluk in the middle, and sister Tatqiq.

 Kalluk's story started in the winter of 2000-01, when he and his sister were born in the wilds of Alaska. Their mother, even though she was wearing a satellite collar, was shot and killed by a hunter near Point Barrow, Alaska. The cubs were rescued within hours, and brought to the San Diego Zoo at the end of March 2001. When Kalluk and Tatqiq arrived in San Diego, there were five other bears there, including Chinook, who was born in the wilds of Manitoba during the winter of 1995. As a young cub, Chinook had become separated from her mother, was rescued and brought to the San Diego Zoo. Neil and Buzz were there too, but in just a couple of months, moved to their permanent home in Como Zoo, St. Paul Minnesota.

The three bears love to have play fights in the water.

When the cubs arrived at the San Diego Zoo, the little male was 12 pounds and the little girl was 10. To tell them apart, the keepers shaved a spot on Kalluk's head. They called them Bubba and Sissy at the start.

Kalluk attacks during one of their fun battles.

In 1996, when Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo first opened, there were more polar bears in American zoos than there were accommodations, so the enclosure was built without plans for these bears having cubs. The San Diego Zoo remodeled Polar Bear Plunge in 2010 to provide mother-cub accommodations, but there were no cubs born.

Epic battle

Officials made the decision to keep brother and sister Kalluk and Tatqiq together, since they had developed a very strong bond. For a time, Tatqiq has had birth control implanted during her annual physical exam, although zoo staff said Kalluk only had eyes for Chinook during breeding season.

Kalluk and his sister Tatqiq

Kalluk was about 1100 pounds at his peak. The keepers always gave the bears lots of vegetables, especially carrots, to keep their weight down in this warmer climate of San Diego, although it doesn't get terribly hot there, with the ocean breezes.

Three way battle. Everyone wins.

Kalluk liked to lie half in the dirt, so the other half was clean. He favored taking his naps in the center rock shelter by the double doors in the back, at the plunge point on the beach, and sometimes in the sand box in the middle.

Kalluk wakes Chinook from her nap, on the big rock

The zoo tour bus stops at the polar bears
 so everyone can get a good look.

The three bears got along very well, and I witnessed some incredible play battles in the big pool. They have always had a lot of fun together. Often Kalluk would be swimming, and the girls would be off together.

Taking turns attacking.

Tatqiq and Kalluk were incredibly bonded, and she will miss her lifelong playmate. Chinook will miss him too. Farewell, handsome Kalluk. You were loved by so many.

San Diego's golden couple, Chinook and Kalluk

Kalluk and Chinook

New windows for San Diego Zoo polar bears

Tatqiq loves her carrots. The window replacement begins this week, so the San Diego Zoo polar bears may be off exhibit for the next few weeks.

 When I visited the San Diego zoo polar bears last week, Tatqiq was still separated from her brother, in the back yard. Chinook had gone into estrus earlier in the season, and it is best to separate the girls at that time. Chinook does not want Kolluk's sister and playmate around during mating season.

Als ich letzte Woche die Eisbären im San Diego Zoo besuchte war Tatqiq immer noch von ihrem Bruder im hinteren Gehege getrennt. Chinook war recht früh in Hitze gekommen und es war ratsam, die weiblichen Bären zu diesem Zeitpunkt zu trennen. Chinook mag Kolluk's Schwester und Spielkameradin nicht um sich haben während der Paarungszeit.

Chinook had gone into a second heat, so Tatqiq was separated again. When I was there, Chinook had lost interest in Kolluk, and curled up in a corner to avoid him. Kolluk, rebuffed from his lady love, took to swimming in circles. At times he tried to approach her, but she just waved him away, so he swam some more.

Es folgte eine zweite Zeit der Paarung, somit wurde Tatqiq wiederum separiert. Während ich dort war hatte Chinook das Interesse an Kolluk bereits wieder verloren und kuschelte sich in einer Ecke zusammen um ihm aus dem Weg zu gehen. Kolluk, abgewiesen von seiner Freundin begann im Kreis zu schwimmen. Ab und an versuchte er sich ihr zu nähen aber sie verscheuchte ihn, also schwamm er weiter.

When I arrived, Kolluk was swimming laps

Sister Tatqiq paces in the back yard, separated from her playmates.

Kolluk goes looking for Chinook, who is hiding in a corner,
 trying to avoid him

Chinook trying to avoid Kolluk's advances

Oh, no. Here he comes. Chinook isn't interest anymore

Chinook says - Just go swim some more, Kolluk

Chinook and Kolluk were called inside for lunch. Since they all have different diets, they always are fed separately. Tatqiq now had the enclosure to herself. She ate carrots, and enjoyed some fruit and other treats left out for her. The keeper said that since they live in a moderate climate, they do not need an extra layer of fat, so they give them lots of fruits and vegetables. These bears like their pears, but not their apples. And they get lots of carrots, in addition to their meat, fish and polar bear kibble.

Chinnok und Kolluk wurden zum Lunch in den inneren Bereich gelockt.Da sie unterschiedliches Fressen erhalten werden sie während der Fütterungszeit getrennt gehalten. Tatqiq hatte nun die ganze Anlage für sich allein.Sie fraß Karotten und auch etwas Obst und andere Leckereien, die für sie bereit lagen. Die Tierpfleger berichten,bedingt durch das milde Klima benötigen die Eisbären keine Extraschicht an Fett, also erhalten sie viel Obst und Gemüse. Die Bären lieben ihre Birnen, aber Äpfel sind nicht ihre Leibspeise. Auch bekommen sie sehr viele Karotten sowie Fleisch, Fisch und Eisbärensnacks.

Sometimes Tatqiq chases the birds that come into their home. She has caught ducks, and tries to catch herons, but has not been lucky there.

Manchmal Tatqiq jagt nach Vögeln, die in der Anlage landen. Sie hat schon Enten erwischt und versuchte auch schon mal einen Reiher zu erhaschen, dies aber bislang ohne Erfolg.

The polar bear plant has four bedrooms, facing on the kitchen, which has a metal mesh separating it from the bears. The bears have very endearing ways to beg for treats from the keepers, a bit of fish here, and a piece of meat there.

Die Eisbärenanlage hat vier Schlafplätze, ausgerichtet mit Blick auf den Küchenbereich, getrennt durch einen Metallzaun für die Eisbären. Und die Bären haben schon ihre Art, Leckereien zu erbetteln, hier mal ein Stück Fisch, dann wieder ein bisschen Fleisch.

 

Tatqiq sniffs around on top of the bridge

She finds some carrots

Yum. They fill her up, but don't make her fat

Looking for more snacks, or maybe a heron

Some polar bear kibble

Tatqiq's favorite toy is the pink ball

Any more snacks?

Looking for any stray birds to chase

Time for a nap in the sun

Later in the afternoon, Tatqiq was called inside, and Kolluk took up his swimming exercises again. Chinook, of course, was hiding in a corner again.

Am späten Nachmittag wurde Tatqiq nach innen gelockt und Kolluk konnte seine Runden im Pool schwimmen, Chinnok hatte sich in eine Ecke zurückgezogen.

Kolluk is swimming his laps again

San Diego Zoo has a wonderful polar bear cam, and I noticed that all three bears are together again.

San Digo Zoo hat eine großartige Web-Kamera und ich bemerkte, dass die drei Eisbären wieder vereint sind.

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/polar-cam


However, we won't be able to watch the bears for awhile, since they are starting this week to replace all the scratched up glass walls in the enclosure, so the bears will be inside for a time, according to one of the keepers.

Dennoch werden wir die Bären für eine Weile nicht via Webcam beobachten können, weil in dieser Woche begonnen wird all die zerkratzten Glasscheiben rund um die Eisbärenanlage auszutauschen, somit werden die Bären im inneren Bereich gehalten erklärte einer der Tierpfleger.

There is also a large sun room with a pool inside, and also the forested back yard, and this is where the bears will spend their time during renovations.

Dort gibt es einen großen sonnigen Bereich mit Innenpool und einen bewaldeten Garten, und dort werden sich die Bären während der Renovierung dann aufhalten.

As of Sunday, May 22. The sign says the polar bears
 are off exhibit due to maintenance. The window replace is supposed to start this week.

Maybe it will be a "heron exhibit" for the next few weeks,
 safe from Tatqiq, while they replace the windows. As of Monday, May 23, the bears are still roaming around.

Thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation

The trio of wildborn bears at San Diego Zoo

Das Trio in der Wildnis geborenen Eisbären im San Diego Zoo

Kalluk, Tatqiq and Chinook have a water battle

Today, the Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo is home to three bears, Chinook, Kalluk and Tatqiq (pronounced TaKEEK), all of whom were born in the Arctic Wilderness.

Heute ist das Eisbärbecken im San Diego Zoo die Heimat von drei Eisbären, Chinook, Kalluk and Tatqiq, von denen alle in der Wildnis der Arktis geboren wurden.

Chinook, Kalluk and Tatqiq

When Kalluk and Tatqiq, little rescued twin cubs from Alaska arrived in Spring of 2001, there were five other bears at the world famous San Diego Zoo, including Chinook, who was born in the wilds of Manitoba during the winter of 1995. As a young cub, Chinook had become separated from her mother, was rescued and brought to the San Diego Zoo.

Als Kalluk und Tatqiq, aus Alaska kamen als gerettete Zwillingsbabys im Frühjahr 2001 gab es fünf weitere Bären im weltberühmten San Diego Zoo, einschließlich Chinook, der im Winter von 1995 dort ankam. Als Jungtier in der Wildnis von Manitoba geboren wurde das Jungtier Chinook von ihrer Mutter getrennt, es wurde gerettet und in den San Diego Zoo gebracht.

Chinook swims her laps

Two of the other bears then in residence were Neil and Buzz, who at the end of 2001 moved to the Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Zwei der anderen Bären dann in Residenz waren Neil und Buzz, die am Ende des Jahres 2001 umzogen in den Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Tatqiq greets her brother Kalluk

Kalluk and Tatqiq ended up at the San Diego Zoo because their mother, even though she was wearing a satellite collar, was shot by a hunter near Point Barrow, Alaska. The cubs were rescued within hours.

Kalluk und Tatqiq landete im Zoo von San Diego, weil ihre Mutter, obwohl sie ein Satellitenhalsband trug, sie wurde von einem Jäger in der Nähe von Point Barrow, Alaska erschossen. Die Jungen wurden innerhalb weniger Stunden gerettet.

Chinook and Kalluk sneak up on Tatqiq

On March 30, 2001, the cubs arrived at the San Diego Zoo. The little male was 12 pounds and the little girl was 10. To tell them apart, the keepers shaved a spot on Kalluk's head. They called them Bubba and Sissy at the start.

Am 30. März 2001 kamen die Jungen in den San Diego Zoo. Das kleine Männchen war 12 pounds und das kleine Mädchen war 10 pounds, um sie auseinanderzuhalten, rasierten die Tierpfleger eine Stelle auf Kallik Kopf. Sie nannten sie Bubba und Sissy zu Beginn.

Tatqiq is off by herself, while Kalluk and Chinook are together.

In 1996, when Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo first opened, there were more polar bears in American zoos than there were accommodations, so the enclosure was built without plans for these bears having cubs.

1996, als das Eisbärbecken im Zoo von San Diego zum ersten Mal geöffnet wurde, gab mehr Eisbären in amerikanischen Zoos als es Unterkünfte hatte, so dass das Gehege ohne Pläne für diese Bären mit Jungtieren gebaut wurde.

Chinook looks up admiringly at Kalluk

Officials made the decision to keep brother and sister Kalluk and Tatqiq together, since they had developed a very strong bond. Every year Tatqiq has had birth control implanted during her annual physical exam, although zoo staff say Kalluk only has eyes for Chinook during breeding season.

Zooverantwortliche trafen die Entscheidung, Bruder und Schwester Kalluk und Tatqiq zusammen zu halten, denn sie hatte eine sehr starke Bindung entwickelt. Jedes Jahr Tatqiq bekam Geburtenkontrolle während ihrer jährlichen körperlichen Untersuchung implantiert , obwohl Zoo Mitarbeiter sagen Kalluk hat nur Augen für Chinook während der Paarungszeit.

Tatqiq has a carrot

Still, it is a shame that 14 year old Tatqiq, with her wild genes, is not in a zoo where she can breed and have cubs.

Dennoch ist es eine Schande, dass die 14-jährige Tatqiq, mit ihrem wilden Genen, nicht in einem Zoo leben kann, wo sie sich paaren und Jungtiere haben könnte.

Tatqiq

Times have changed, and now there are fewer than 60 polar bears in U.S. zoos, and with new state-of-the-art enclosures being built, cubs are in demand.

Die Zeiten haben sich in der US-Zoos geändert, und jetzt gibt es weniger als 60 Eisbären, und mit neuen state-of-the-art-Gehege gebaut, sind Jungtiere in der Nachfrage.

The underwater viewing theatre

Bears at play

Kalluk and toys

The San Diego Zoo remodeled Polar Bear Plunge in 2010 to provide mother-cub accommodations. It is hoped that Kalluk and Chinook will have cubs, but so far it has not happened. No cubs were born in U.S. zoos this year, or last year even.

Der Zoo von San Diego hat das umgebaute Eisbärbecken im Jahr 2010 auf Mutter-Jungtier eingerichtet. Es ist zu hoffen, dass Kalluk und Chinook werden Jungtierehaben, aber bisher ist es nicht geschehen. Keine Jungtiere wurden in der US-Zoos in diesem Jahr geboren auch nicht im letzten Jahr.

The zoo tour bus stops to get a look at Kalluk and Chinook

You can watch these three bears play and eat and sleep every day at the San Diego Zoo webcam. Here is the address:

Du kannst dir diese drei Bären spielen und essen und schlafen sehen jeden Tag im Zoo von San Diego mit der Webcam. Hier ist die Adresse:

San Diego Zoo polar bear cam

Tatqiq plays with fronds of grass

How do you tell these three bears apart as you are watching them on the webcam? Of the three bears, Tatqiq is the smallest, at 520 pounds. She sometimes wears a research radio collar. She is long and slender and has a narrower face than Chinook. Tatqiq likes to hang out on the rock tower. Tatqiq has fuzzier feet on the bottoms. She usually sleeps on her side, and likes the beach the best.

Wie Sie diese drei Bären auseinanderhalten, wenn Sie die Bären auf der Webcam beobachteten? Von den drei Bären, ist Tatqiq die kleinste, bei 520 Pfund. Sie trägt manchmal eine Forschungs Radio Kragen. Sie ist lang und schlank und hat ein kleineres Gesicht als Chinook. Tatqiq liegt gerne auf dem Felsturm herum. Tatqiq hatfusselige Pfoten. Sie schläft in der Regel auf ihrer Seite, und mag den Sandstrand am Liebsten.

Chinook and Kalluk

Chinook has rounder belly. Everything about Chinook is round. Chinook is also the one who likes to swim laps. When she sleeps it is on her belly. Chinook often sleeps just to the left of the waterfall, by the double doors in the back, on the beach at night, or in one of the mulch beds.

Chinook hat einenrunden Bauch. Alles an Chinook ist rund. Chinook ist auch derjenige, der Runden zum schwimmen mag. Wenn sie schläft liegt sie auf auf ihrem Bauch. Chinook schläft oft nur auf der linken Seite des Wasserfalls, durch die Doppeltür im Rücken, am Strand in der Nacht, oder in einem der Mulch Betten.

Kalluk stares down a photographer

Kalluk is the biggest, at 1100 pounds. When he gets dirty, it is usually just half of him covered with dirt. Kalluk likes to sleep in the center rock shelter, by the double doors in the back, and at the plunge point on the beach, and sometimes in the sand box in the middle.

Kalluk ist die größte, auf 1100 Pfund. Als er verschmutzt ist, ist es in der Regel nur die eine Hälfte die ihn mit Schmutz bedeckt. Kalluk liegt gern auf dem Rücken schlafend in der Mitte am Felsüberhang, im Durchgang der Doppeltüren und an der Tauchstelle am Strand, und manchmal auch im Sandkasten in der Mitte.

More water play

The bears enjoy a 130,000 gallon pool, with water chilled to 55 degrees F (12 degrees C). The cooling breeze comes right off San Diego Bay. The bears can swim in the deep pool, or relax in the shallow areas, and in the shade. There is air conditioning inside too.

Die Bären genießen ein 130.000 Gallonen Pool, mit Wasser gekühlt, um 55 Grad Fahrenheit (12 Grad Celsius). Die kühlende Brise kommt direkt an der San Diego Bay. Die Bären können im tiefen Pool tauchen oder entspannen in den flachen Bereichen und im Schatten. Es gibt auch eine Klimaanlage im Innenbereich.

The three bears at play in their wonderful deep pool

Once a year, they have a snow day, where tons of snow is trucked into give these bears the opportunity to slip and slide. Last year it was in May.

Einmal im Jahr haben sie einen Schneetag, wo Tonnen von Schnee an die Bären transportiert wird mit der Möglichkeit zu gleiten und zu rutschen. Letztes Jahr war es im Mai 2014.

Chinook has a carrot

Since they live in a warmer area, the polar bears get a special ground meat diet, 5 to 10 % fat, to keep them on the lean side. They also eat dog kibble, trout and other fish, lots of carrots and other root vegetables, and lettuce. They get cow bones and thawed rabbits once or twice a week. The bears consume 100 pounds of carrots each day between them, to give them something to eat without the extra calories. They do love their carrots.

Da sie in einen warmen Klima leben, die Eisbären bekommen einen speziellen Boden-Fleisch Diät, 5 bis 10% Fett, um sie auf der schlanken Linie zu halten. Sie fressen auch Hundetrockenfutter, Forellen und andere Fische, viele Karotten und anderes Wurzelgemüse und Salat. Sie bekommen Kuh Knochen und aufgetaut Kaninchen einmal oder zweimal pro Woche. Die Bären verbrauchen 100 Pfund Karotten jeden Tag ohne den Bären zusätzlichen Kalorien zum fressen zu geben. Sie lieben ihre Karotten.

An exciting day at the Polar Bear Plunge

Usually the three bears play well together. During breeding season, Tatqiq is given the choice of staying inside, or if she comes out, she stays by herself, usually on the left side of the enclosure. Chinook wants Kalluk all to herself during breeding season, but is happy to play nicely during the rest of the year.

Normalerweise sind die drei Bären gut miteinander verträglich. Während der Paarungszeit wird Tatqiq die Wahl gegeben, im Innenbereich zu bleiben, oder wenn sie herauskommt, bleibt sie allein, in der Regel auf der linken Seite des Gehäuses.Chinook will nur mit Kalluk während der Paarungszeit zusammen sein, ist aber während dem Rest des Jahres gut verträglich zu allen.

Tatqiq goes heron hunting

Don't worry, Tatqiq chases but doesn't catch the birds (usually)


Thank you to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German Translation.