Qannik and friends win top AZA award!

Qannik

Another visit to the Louisville Zoo, and the delightful polar bear cub Qannik. Because of the rotation schedule, yet again I did not see the American Siku.

Ein weiterer Besuch der Louisville Zoo, und die reizvolle Eisbärbaby Qannik. Aufgrund der Drehung Zeitplan, noch einmal sah ich nicht die amerikanische Siku.

Qannik in her bucket of water

And now in a bucket of ice!

Qannik and her favorite toy - a yellow Crazy Egg

I did see the Grizzly Bear family. Because Mama Inga has decided that her cubs should be on their own, Inga is now in her own rotation, and almost fully grown cubs Otis and Rita are together by themselves.

Ich sah die Grizzly Bear Familie. Weil Mama Inga hat beschlossen, dass ihr Sohn und Tochter sollten sich auf ihre eigenen zu sein, ist Inga jetzt in ihrem eigenen Rotation, und fast ausgewachsen Bären Otis und Rita zusammen für sich.

Inga, the mamma Grizzly

I talked to head keeper Jane Anne, who said that Siku is doing very well. He is also very careful with his toys, and loves his new red crazy egg. Siku weighs 647 pounds at last report, and is fully in rotation, but not out every day, like Qannik is.

Ich sprach mit Tierpfleger Jane Anne, die, dass Siku geht es sehr gut. Er ist auch sehr vorsichtig mit seinen Spielsachen und liebt seine neue rot crazy Ei. Siku wiegt 647 £ am letzten Bericht und ist voll in Drehung, aber nicht jeden Tag, wie Qannik ist.

The new banner announces good news for Glacier Run

And there is some great news about Glacier Run. Qannik's home now proudly displays a banner announcing that Glacier Run has won the 2012 top honors for Exhibit Design from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The award was announced September 14, 2012.

Und es gibt ein paar tolle Neuigkeiten zu Glacier Run. Qannik Hause Jetzt zeigt stolz ein Banner der Ankündigung, dass Glacier Run hat die 2012 die höchste Auszeichnung für Exhibit Design von der Vereinigung der Zoos und Aquarien (AZA) gewonnen. Die Auszeichnung wurde angekündigt, 14. September.

The enclosure looks like a town suffering from the damages of a melting glacier,
 giving the bears a nice area to climb. This photo was taken before the Grizzly Bears were separated.

Glacier Run is modeled after Churchill, a town on the Hudson Bay in Canada, known for its population of polar bears. The Louisville Zoo's Glacier Run is home to seals, sea lions, a grizzly bear mother and her two cubs, and polar bears Qannik, Siku and Siku's grandmother Arki.

Glacier Run ist so konzipiert, wie Churchill, einer Stadt an der Hudson Bay in Kanada, für seine Bevölkerung von Eisbären bekannt aussehen. Die Louisville Zoo Glacier Run ist die Heimat von Robben, Seelöwen, ein Grizzlybär-Mutter und ihre zwei Jungen, und Eisbären Qannik, Siku und Siku Großmutter Arki.

Near the enclosure is a toy UPS truck, to remind everyone that UPS helped save Qannik

Qannik, as everyone knows, made international news when she was rescued from the wilds of Alaska after being somehow separated from her mother and sister in the early spring of 2011. She only weighed 15 pounds when she was brought to the Alaska Zoo to recover. In late June, Qannik was flown courtesy of UPS and their “Operation Snowflake,” to the Louisville Zoo.

Qannik, wie jeder weiß, machte international Schlagzeilen, als sie aus der Wildnis von Alaska wurde, nachdem er irgendwie von ihrer Mutter und Schwester im Frühjahr des Jahres 2011 getrennt gerettet. Sie wog nur 15 £, wenn sie zu der Alaska Zoo gebracht wurde zu erholen. Ende Juni wurde Qannik mit freundlicher Genehmigung von UPS und ihre "Operation Snowflake", der Louisville Zoo geflogen.

Qannik enjoys the big pool at Glacier Run

According the Louisville Zoo's press release, “This award is the highest honor for new exhibits, and the Louisville Zoo is on the leading edge of zoological exhibits in North America,” said AZA president and CEO Jim Maddy. “This exhibit demonstrates the Louisville Zoo’s innovation and dedication to the best in animal care and public education.”

Nach der Louisville Zoo in der Pressemitteilung, "Diese Auszeichnung die höchste Auszeichnung für neue Exponate ist, und das Louisville Zoo ist auf der Vorderkante des zoologischen Exponaten in Nordamerika", sagte AZA President und CEO Jim Maddy. "Diese Ausstellung zeigt die Louisville Zoo Innovation und Engagement zu den besten in Tierhaltung und Aufklärung der Öffentlichkeit."

“Glacier Run has exceeded our expectations, and our guests and visiting professionals are always surprised at the immersive experience of Glacier Run,” said John Walczak, Louisville Zoo Director. “We are proud to offer extraordinary spaces and enrichment opportunities for our animals as well as a place where visitors can have fun and learn about the arctic and some of the most important environmental stories of our generation.”

Glacier Run hat unsere Erwartungen übertroffen, und unsere Gäste und Fachbesucher sind immer auf der immersive Erfahrung Glacier Run überrascht", sagte John Walczak, Louisville Zoo Director. "Wir sind stolz darauf, außergewöhnliche Räume und Bereicherung Chancen für unsere Tiere sowie einen Ort, wo die Besucher Spaß haben und erfahren Sie mehr über die Arktis und einige der wichtigsten Umwelt-Geschichten von unserer Generation zu bieten."

Arki, and one of the ramps she gets to climb every day

Glacier Run was one of eight entries for the Exhibit Award. Here, the habitat gives the bears and the zoo visitors plenty of variety. It has two exhibits, seven bedrooms, bridge transfer and under town tunnel, and the keepers are constantly striving to keep the bears active and engaged with innovative enrichment activities which mimics the activities of wild bears. The ramps and stairways give the bears the right kind of exercise, which has especially helped Grandma Arki in strengthening her back legs.

Glacier Run war einer von acht Einträge für den Exhibit Award. Hier gibt der Lebensraum der Bären und die Zoobesucher viel Abwechslung. Es verfügt über zwei Exponate, sieben Schlafzimmer, Brücke Übertragung und unter Stadt-Tunnel, und die Tierpfleger sind ständig bemüht, um die Bären aktiv und engagiert mit innovativen Aktivitäten zur Anreicherung, die die Aktivitäten von wilden Bären nachahmt. Die Rampen und Treppen geben die Bären die richtige Art von Übung, die vor allem Oma Arki hat bei der Stärkung der Rücken Beine geholfen.

One of the educational posters around Glacier Run

Glacier Run usually has staff and volunteers to answer questions and interact with the visitors. Polar bear videos are also presented on flat screens tv (include a nice video about how Qannik was rescued), and informative posters about the individual bears and their history. Displays throughout the zoo give recycling information and encouragement to reduce our carbon footprint, as well.
Glacier Run hat in der Regel Mitarbeiter und Freiwilligen, Fragen zu beantworten und die Interaktion mit den Besuchern. Eisbär gibt es auch Videos auf Flachbildschirmen tv (gehört ein schönes Video über Qannik gerettet wurde), und informativen Plakaten über die einzelnen Bären und ihrer Geschichte vorgestellt. Displays über den Zoo geben Recycling-Informationen und Ermutigung, um unseren Kohlenstoff-Fußabdruck zu reduzieren, wie gut.

Qannik arrives at the Louisville Zoo!

Girls just wanna have fun. That's little Qannik, the 7 month old polar bear cub now living at Glacier Run at the Louisville Zoo. She has plenty to eat, lots to do, and a bright future.

This is a far different world than the one she faced back in April, when she was found wandering alone, separated from her mom and sibling, near an oilfield. It was touch and go to rescue her, and she was drastically underweight, only weighing 15 pounds, about half what she should have weighed at that age.

She was lovingly cared for at the Alaska Zoo, where she quickly became a crowd favorite. But the Alaska Zoo didn't have the facilities to care for her permanently. The people at the Alaska Zoo had become very fond of the little rescued cub, and she even got to meet Jack Hanna.

When it was time for Qannik to leave her friends at the Alaska Zoo, UPS generously provided the logistically complicated flight to bring Qannik and her staff to Louisville, where she settled into the fabulous new Glacier Run habitat in late June.

Playing inside the igloo doghouse

Playing in the mulch pit - in a plastic swimming pool 

Look at me! I just knocked over the doghouse!

Lots of toys

She now weighs in at a hefty 125 pounds (on Sept. 6, plus a pound a day, so probably more like 135 pounds now) and meets her adoring fans from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m. each day. The ice princess holds court in her toy-filled bear condo across from the big pool in bear alley. She is supervised 24 hours a day, and is always accompanied by her “staff” when the public can see her. She is observed through video-cameras at all times. Her caretakers come spend time with her in the evening, too. They feed her three times a day, change out her toys often so she is always entertained (between naps), lead her during her running romps, and keep detailed journals of her interactions, reactions, moods, and activities. She is now past the age when keepers can be in her enclosure with her, but they interact with her all the time.

Qannik's condo. With some of the posters removed, Qannik's fans can get a good look. The door on the end is usually open during 10-12 and 2-4 daily, with keepers present to supervise. There is a grid inside the door.  The big pool is just across the road from the "Loading Dock." Qannik will be swimming in the big pool sometime in the next few weeks.

The glass walls of her condo are still semi-covered with posters, but there are plenty of viewing spots with a clear view of this little furry dynamo. While she was used to crowds at the Alaska Zoo, she wasn't used to glass, and the Louisville Zoo is gradually removing the papers from her walls.

Keeper Jane Anne Franklin says that they are working hard to keep Qannik busy, so she won't develop the “stereotypical” pacing you sometimes see in zoo bears. Whatever Qannik anticipates, her keepers do the opposite, says Jane Anne. They give her new toys, new textures, and games. She plays with ice-filled pools, cardboard, mulch, straw, greenery, balls, chew toys, and boxes. Often, things are hidden inside the boxes, or in jute bags, so the cub will have fun puzzling them out. There is an igloo doghouse that Qannik likes to push around, hide in, and turn over to make a cozy bed. The enclosure has stairs, several levels and a truck bed, and the cub is always jumping and climbing. She also has access the the downstairs bedroom and pool area, if she wants to nap down there. There is also a covered overhead crossing that Qannik uses as a raceway. More on that in a future postings.

Heading for the pool of ice.

Jane Ann says that if you can keep a cub busy enough, you can prevent the development of the stereotypical pacing behavior, and once the bear get past a certain age, she will never develop the pacing habit.

More next time on Siku, Arki, the Glacier Run area, and Qannik of course.

Cute from any angle