Kulu and the old folks home

 

Kulu on the left, Nan says hello on the right.

Young Kulu

The largest of three bears at the Como Zoo in St. Paul Minnesota, young Kulu, is 5 1/2 years old and weighs 1300 pounds. As polar bear keeper Allison says, he is now a young adult, with hormones surging through his body. His companions are up there in years. Nan, at 30, is the oldest polar bear in a US zoo. Neil, at 29, is the oldest male polar bear in the world.

Nan on rock, Neil center, and Kulu, right

It is like an old folks home that has had a teenager move in, as Allison says. While having a youngster around helps keep the oldsters on their toes, Kulu is learning adult bear behavior from Nan and Neil.

Kulu on rock, Nan below

Kulu was born as a single cub in the Columbus Zoo to Aurora and Lee on November 28, 2019.

Baby Kulu in Columbus with mom Aurora

Previously, Aurora had given birth to Nora and twins Nuniq and Neva. This is a first offspring for Lee. Aurora, daughter of Crystal and Marty, was born in the Toledo Zoo along with her twin sister Anana, who passed away several years ago. Lee is the son of another Aurora (born in Salt Lake City), and Yukon, who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Kulu and his mom Aurora in Columbus

When baby Kulu reached a certain age, Aunt Anana was introduced and quickly became Kulu's favorite playmate, while mother Aurora took naps or watched. 

Kulu in center, with mom Aurora and Aunt Anana in Columbus

Kulu plays with his Auntie Anana in Columbus

In the fall of 2021, Kulu moved to Como Zoo, where Neil and Nan were waiting. They easily took over the role of doting adoptive grandparents, and Kulu especially enjoyed playing in the pool with Neil.

Neil and Kulu spar in the Como pool - in 2022.

Now that Neil is a few years older and slowing down, Kulu plays a lot more with Nan, who is half his size at 650 pounds, but she knows how to keep him in line. 

In 2025, Kulu begs Neil to come into the pool. But it is too hard
 for Neil to get in and out because of his arthritis, so he declines.

Nan is still the boss. After all, Kulu grew up being bossed around by the ladies, his mom Aurora and his Aunt Anana. 

Kulu and Nan

I visited a few months ago, and the three bears enjoyed frolicking in the wildflower meadow, playing games and even engaged in a bit of chasing. 

Nan, Kulu and Neil in the wildflowers  this summer

Old Neil rarely goes into the water these days, but that doesn't stop Kulu from begging the old guy to join him in the pool. 

Kulu and Nan have a little battle in the wildflowers

Nan doesn't mind being a swim buddy for Kulu, although there isn't a lot of playing. She does her best, though.

Kulu gives Nan a little "kiss" in the Como pool. 

Or maybe a little bite for Nan.

Kulu's older companions are family too. While wildborn Nan is unrelated, she did live for many years in the Toledo Zoo with Kulu's grandparents Crystal and Marty. Neil is brother of the late Icee, who was father of Kulu's grandfather Yukon who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo, so Neil is Kulu's great great uncle. 

Kulu on the left, Great Great Uncle Neil on the right.

Winter is coming in a few months and there will be plenty of snow and cold at Como Zoo. Kulu will celebrate his 6th birthday. Nan will be 31, and Neil will be 30. Yes, things will change as Nan and Neil get older, and someday will pass on, but for now, it is a great situation for a young polar bear boy. 

A lovely situation,
 Nan, Kulu and Neil all living happily together at Como Zoo.

Kulu is a busy boy, always up to something.

Haley moves to Detroit Zoo

 

Haley in 2012 in Memphis

22 year old Haley has made the move from the Memphis Zoo, where she lived with Koda, to the Detroit Zoo, where she will live with Crystal's daughter Suka, and Koda's twin brother Nuka, in hopes that she will finally have cubs.

Haley in Memphis, 2012.

Haley was born November 15, 2002, in Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY. Her parents were Aurora, born in Salt Lake City to Cheechacko and Chinook, and Yukon, who was born to Connie/Amy and Icee in the Cincinnati Zoo. 

Haley in Memphis

Haley is sister to Anoki, born in 1996 and now in the Seneca Park Zoo, and to twins Lee and Anana, born in 1999. Lee is now in the Columbus Zoo, and is the father of Kulu, with Crystal's daughter Aurora; Kulu is now in the Como Zoo in St. Paul. Anana is in the North Carolina Zoo. Like her sisters, she has never had cubs.

Haley had lived with Marty's brother Payton in the Memphis Zoo for many years, but there was an incident early on where Payton was chasing Haley up and down the steep rocky habitat. She fell and broke her leg, and after a period of healing, the keepers continued to limit contact between the two bears, for fear of a repeat.

Payton was moved to North Carolina, where he became companion to Haley's sister Anana (Lee's twin), but no cubs ever came of this pairing.

Haley's mother Aurora was sister to the famous Denali, father of 8 cubs in Japan). She was also half sister to Anana (a different Anana, who comes up later in our story), the late Koluk and his twin brother Kiska, who lives in Albuquerque.

Nuka in Detroit

Twin brothers Nuka and Koda were born November 25, 2004 in Denver to mother Voda and father Kavek. Nuka and Koda's older sister Cranbearry was born in 2001, and now lives in the Alaska Zoo. Kavek was brother of Rizzo of the Cincinnati and Hogle Zoos.

Koda and Nuka moved to Pittsburgh in 2006. Koda lived most of his life in Pittsburgh, where his sometimes companion was his Aunt Snowflake.  Koda moved to Memphis in 2021. Nuka moved to Detroit in 2011, where his mate was Talini. No cubs happened, so Talini moved to Chicago LP, and Crystal's young daughter Suka came to Detroit. 

Nuka on the Tundra side, Suka and Astra on the meadow side.

In Detroit, Suka had several pregnancies where the cubs did not survive. Then in 2020, she gave birth to Astra and Laerke. Astra was strong, but newborn Laerke was struggling, so after a few days, she was removed and raised by keepers. 

Twin sisters Astra and Laerke, separated during their first two years.

Astra was a strong healthy cub, but Laerke was small and struggled sometimes. The Detroit Zoo brought in a rescued grizzly cub from Alaska to help Laerke socialize and learn to be a bear. They made for an odd couple, but both cubs were happy with the arrangement. 

Jebbie and Laerke in a friendly bear hug.

Eventually Jebbie grew too large for the pair to safely continue. He found a good home at a bear sanctuary in Colorado.

The girls were reunited several years later, and moved to Tacoma Washington, where they continue to do well.

Nuka

Nuka's life as a soap opera

Although he is a bear, some of us polar bear fans have joked that Nuka's life has followed the plots of many human soap operas, from being the father of twins separated at birth, to being accused of murder and then exonerated, to having families with both mother and daughter, and now, stealing his twin brother's mate. Okay, that's enough anthropomorphizing!

The real story

After Suka gave birth to the twin girls Astra and Laerke, who were separated shortly after birth, a lady bear named Anana moved to Detroit from the Cincinnati Zoo, and there were hopes of a successful breeding. What followed was a tragedy, followed by unfair accusations and rumors.

Sadly, Anana was found dead on the Tundra area one wintry morning, and initial suspicions suggested that Nuka was responsible, in breeding gone wrong. There were some bloody wounds on her head. This was a shocking thought, especially since Nuka had always been a very gentle bear and the two bears got along well. Months later, the necropsy showed that Anana had died of natural causes, heart failure. The superficial wounds on her head were caused by Nuka trying to wake her up, to get her to move, alas in vain. The true cause of death was not publicized except in an email necropsy report to Zoo members (which I had access to), so many people went on to blame Nuka for years. 

As the soap opera continued, the Toledo Zoo, only an hour's drive away from Detroit, had lost Marty, the father of all of Crystal's cubs, to old age. So Crystal, Suka's mother, was alone. As mother of seven, Crystal was thought to be still fertile, even though she was up in years. So Nuka was invited to come to Toledo to spend romantic time with -- yes, basically his mother-in-law -- while Suka raised Astra, and the keepers took care of Laerke in the neighboring city of Detroit.

There was worry from the Toledo Zoo fans and maybe even the staff, about Nuka and the safety of Crystal, given the false story about Anana. This blog seemed to be the only news source in the world with the correct story, so the Toledo Blade newspaper contacted me, and printed the true story exonerating Nuka, the two bears were introduced, and all was well.

Nuka and Crystal got along well, and that fall, twins Kallik and Kallu were born. Nuka returned to Suka in Detroit.

Birthday party for 2 year old Kallu and Kallik and 26 year old Crystal

The Detroit Zoo was hoping that Suka and Nuka would have cubs this past fall, but there was noisy construction nearby, and maybe that disturbed the natural cycle. In any case, there were no cubs born in a US zoo last year, or the year before.

This is why Haley was moved to Detroit. All of the polar bears  in the US under the age of 10 are offspring or grandchildren of Crystal, except for rescued youngster Kava in the Alaska Zoo. In fact the last cub born in the US that wasn't a direct descendent of Crystal was Anana's daughter Luna born in 2012, the same Anana who tragically died in Detroit. 

Aurora and Yukon of Seneca Park were parents of four cubs, but only one has become a parent: Lee, father of Kulu in the Columbus Zoo. And now there is new hope that the next generation will continue with Haley's latest move to Detroit.

It is rather late in the breeding season for the two bears to be introduced, but I am sure the keepers will do what they can. 22 years of age is quite old for a first time birth for a polar bear, but fingers are crossed. 

The only living male polar bears who have fathered cubs in the US are Nuka and Haley's brother Lee. Next spring we may see cubs in Detroit, Columbus, and maybe even in Toledo, where wildborn Kali has just arrived for Crystal's approval. 

Lee comfy in Columbus

Lee

Lee is getting comfortable at the Columbus Zoo. The girls, Anana and Aurora, are denned up for the season, so he has the whole place to himself. He prefers to sleep outside in his "man cave," rearranging the raffia bedding to suit himself.

It is Wildlights Season at the Columbus Zoo,
 with lots of lights, even during the day.

Lee's "man cave" and his scratching post

When he does spend time indoors, the keepers give him lots of cardboard boxes to arrange and rearrange in his indoor bedroom, because he loves to decorate. Cardboard would be a problem with the water filtration system of the pools, so he has to be happy with fluffy straw and raffia outside.

Interior Design by Lee

Lee weighs 1100 pounds now

He arrived about a year ago from the Denver Zoo, where he had been living with Cranbearry, although they were kept separate. In Denver, he was showing stereotypical behavior, that is pacing and repetitive movements. It is much better in Columbus, where he has wide open meadows and lots of space for roaming and swimming.

He is very fond of Aurora and Anana, but is making the best of it while they are denned up. He is also very attached to his keepers, and they are very fond of him as well.

His fur is looking great now that it has grown in

I visited earlier this week, and Lee had just had his weekly allergy shot. The keepers have trained him to back up against the bars so he can get the injection, while another keeper fed him watermelon and peanut butter.

Lee thinking about another nap

 He has suffered from multiple allergies, and needs the weekly injections to keep the itching at bay. He was scratching quite a bit on Monday, but his keepers said that he should be much better the next day. They tried to get him interested in playing with his toys, or swimming, but he was having a lazy day on Monday.

The keepers are used to dealing with allergies, as the late Nanuq had a severe allergy to grass, and they had to medicate him for that.

It feels good to scratch that itch

His "itching" grimace

He has his favorite scratching posts, a trunk of a tree that has lots of knobs sticking out. He sometimes rubs on stones too. 

Showing his beautiful teeth which he scratches

When he scratches with his paws, or rubs against something,  he makes funny biting faces, showing his teeth.

Scratching an itchy tummy

Lee has enjoyed his time with sisters Aurora and Anana. Each has produced cubs before, so chances are good we may have cubs again this year.

On his way to the scratching post

 Neither Lee, nor any of his siblings have produced cubs yet. Lee's mother was the late Aurora, and his father was the late Yukon, who, along with his twin Berlin, were the last polar bears born at the Cincinnati Zoo, in 1989.

Aurora and Yukon were parents of Anoki, now in Seneca Park Zoo Lee's twin sister Anana of the North Carolina Zoo, and Haley of the Memphis Zoo.

Lee loves his soft bedding

 Lee is descended on his mother's side from the Memphis Zoo's Bruno, and on his father's side from Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo, and thus is related to many of the bears in Europe, such as all of Olinka's children and all of Freedom's children. Elvis was his cousin, and so is Ranzo.

Lee watches me

 Lee's keepers say that he weighs about 1100 pounds. His fur has grown in and is looking much better than when he arrived a year ago, all nice and white and fluffy. 

Lee blends in with his fluffy bedding, all carefully arranged

 

A little more scratching

 

Itchy ear

   

Lee's itchy allergies are much better with his weekly allergy shots

 I had visited Lee once before, in the summer of 2009, when he was in Detroit with retired rescued circus bear Bärle. He was much more interested in Bärle's young 4 year old daughter Talini who was across the way in another enclosure. Lee could see Talini, who was in with Neil and Buzz at the time, if he stood up. Lee was pacing, then standing, trying to impress Talini from a distance. Those were the days when I didn't have a good camera, so the photos are not the best, but nevertheless historic.

Lee in the grassy area at the Detroit Zoo Arctic Ring of Life in summer of 2009

Lee looking over at young Talini next door - 2009 in Detroit

Lee a decade ago, in Detroit

I am hopeful Lee will at last be a daddy, and we will have some cubs in the Columbus Zoo again.

Bam Bam and Berlin together

Bam Bam by her waterfall

Exciting news for two of our older lady bears. 

Berlin in the Kansas City Zoo

30 year old Bam Bam, who is officially named Fanny, will be moving from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, the home she has known all her life, to the Kansas City Zoo, where she will eventually meet another older lady, Berlin, age 28. It will be a short journey as the two zoos are only a few hours apart.

Bam Bam with celery and sweet potato

Although they have never met, these ladies are related. Bam Bam's late brother Shep is the grandfather of Berlin, who was born in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1989.

 I visited both Berlin and Bam Bam on back to back days in August. Both bears were active and playful, and received great attention from their keepers.

Bam Bam with a melon. She loves melons,  just like Berlin.

Bam Bam's  twin sister, Patches, who lived with her for many years, moved to another zoo in 2007 and died in 2014. Bam Bam hasn't minded her single status it at all and has been very happy to be queen of her castle. Her keepers in Omaha have made sure she has plenty to do, and she enjoys swimming in her big pool too. One of her favorite activities is diving for her food, especially for her favorite celery, and her second favorite food, melons.

Bam Bam and her project. There is some dog kibble in there somewhere.

Sometimes there is honey or peanut butter smeared on the logs for Bam Bam.

Bam Bam is moving things around

View from overhead of Bam Bam and her wooden castle

Bam Bam, always bright and curious, is also a builder, likes moving sticks and logs around, rearranging the furniture. Her keepers put interesting scents and snacks in with the logs. They say she is a problem solver.

Branches make an interesting afternoon diversion for Bam Bam

Bam Bam got her name from her keepers when, as a cub, she kept banging on the door. 

Berlin in the grass

 Berlin got her name from the Berlin wall, which was in the news at the time of her birth. She grew up with her twin brother, Yukon. Berlin has had the company of other bears off and on. She and her mate Bubba lived together in the Duluth Minnesota zoo for many years, but she never did have cubs, and then she was a widow.

Berlin with  Buzz at the Como Zoo. Neil and Buzz are her younger uncles

After the Duluth zoo flooded and she escaped briefly, she went to live with her uncles Neil and Buzz in the Como Zoo in St. Paul, and they got along very well. Then she was moved to the Kansas City Zoo to be with young Nikita, but that did not suit her at all. The keepers finally gave up and kept them separate, since the two bears just could not get along.

Berlin has been known to plant and harvest melons in her enclosure.

Berlin is very playful since her "boyfriend" Nikita left

 Nikita moved away, going to the North Carolina Zoo a few years ago, and since then Berlin has been happily alone, enjoying her solitude, not having to share toys or food, and tending to her melon garden. Although she was subdued when around the rambunctious young Nikita, since he left she has blossomed into a fun loving lady. 

Berlin has found a fish

Berlin has lot of grassy areas in the Kansas City Zoo

 

The Kansas City Zoo is very roomy, and has grassy meadows
 and sand pits in which to roll around. 

Bam Bam in her home in Omaha. You could observe her from above, or take a long path down to see her face to face through the glass. She has had a nice home there, but no grass.

Celery for Bam Bam 

Bam Bam is popular with visitors at the Henry Doorly Zoo

Bam Bam has found a melon

Bam Bam playing with her food

Bam Bam will move in April, and the bears will be kept separate while the newcomer adjusts to her new surroundings and keepers. The bears will be gradually introduced this summer.

Berlin

It will be interesting to see how these to older lady bears react to each other. The Kansas City enclosure is very large, so there will be room for them to avoid each other. But maybe they will strike up a friendship. That would be nice. They do have a lot in common. 

Berlin with an underwater pear

With the exit of Bam Bam, the long rich polar bear history of the Henry Doorly Zoo, with Olaf and Olga and their many children, will come to an end, at least temporarily. With only 44 polar bears in U.S. zoos, any facility is lucky to have one. And now Kansas City will have two.

   

 

Kansas City, here I come, says Bam Bam