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. 

Blizzard gone too soon

 

Blizzard's signature smile

Zoo Karlsruhe in Germany has announced the death of Blizzard, their 15 year old male polar bear. He was discovered dead in the indoor facility yesterday.

Viktoria and Blizzard

It was recently discovered that Blizzard's kidney values were very poor. He had been examined for a minor leg injury, and routine blood tests revealed Blizzard's kidney failure. Animals can be very good at hiding health problems.

Blizzard and his reflection

Blizzard was born December 16, 2006, in Pistoia Italy, in a zoo that no longer keeps polar bears. His father was the late Yoghi, and his mother was Yoghi's mother Bimba. The family tree is rather twisted, as Yoghi's father Romeo was also Bimba's father. Romeo was an American bear, born in Colorado Springs.

Blizzard top, finding treats smeared on the walls by the keepers

Blizzard lived in Pistoia until he was four years old, then moved to Rostock for several years, where he had a lovely time hanging out with old Mother Vienna. In 2012, he moved to Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, where he lived with Fanny's daughter Viktoria until May of 2020, when he moved to Karlsruhe, where he lived with young Charlotte, Flocke's sister.

Blizzard chasing Viktoria

Blizzard, like his father Yoghi, was a laid back, friendly and gentle bear. He seemed to like to stick his tongue out, more than the average polar bear, and was sometimes a bit silly. He always got along well with his lady companions.

Blizzard was a happy bear

Blizzard's father Yoghi also died fairly young of kidney failure. 

Blizzard never had any cubs, but he did have siblings fathered by Yoghi. He was half brother to twins Nela and Nobby, and also to Quintana. Nela now lives in Emmen in the Netherlands, Nobby lives in Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK, and Quintana lives in Zoo La Fleche in France. 

Viktoria in front, and here comes Blizzard

I visited Blizzard several times in Hagenbeck, where he lived a lazy, content and life with Viktoria. 

It is sad to lose him at such a young age. I will miss him. 

Blizzard up top in Hagenbeck

Farewell Blizzard.

 

The beautiful Katjuscha is 36 today

 

It is rare for a polar bear to reach the age of 36, but Katjuscha of the Berlin Zoo is celebrating that milestone today. She is the oldest polar bear in a European zoo. I don't know of any polar bears in the world who are older. There is a lady bear in the Milwaukee County Zoo in the U.S., Snow Lily, who is two weeks younger than Katjuscha.

Katjuscha does have a younger sister, born in 1989, Antonia the famous dwarf polar bear who now lives in Gelsenkirchen. Their parents were mother Nadine of Karlsruhe, and father Willie, who lived in the Berlin Zoo but would come to Karlsruhe during breeding season to visit the girls. 

Most of these photos are from my last visit with Katjuscha, in May of 2019. She was active, roaming around her enclosure at the Berlin Zoo and having a fine time on a lovely Spring day. She often takes a swim, but she did not during my most recent visit. When I came back in the afternoon to check on her, she was sleeping.

My friend Ralph visited her in September, just two months ago, and reported that she spent much of her time swimming. Here is a link to his report in Knuti's Weekly. 

Ralph visits Katjuscha in Berlin

Kati does like to roam around and patrol her enclosure, check things out. She has some arthritis, but it doesn't stop her from being a very active senior bear.

Katjuscha tends to wander in and out of her door, and sometimes naps there. She has lived alone for a few years now, since the death of Tosca and then Nancy. She seems to like being on her own. Nancy and Tosca had always teamed up as best friends, and Katjuscha was left out anyway.

When I visited Berlin in 2014, Katjuscha invited me to a tea party at the enclosure, with bread rolls served daintily upon her paw.

Back in 2014, Tosca and Katjuscha's sister Nancy would play together, and even lick ears. Katjuscha was left on her own. She has always liked to sit in the door and watch the rest of the world go by.

Tosca, Katjuscha and Nancy in Berlin in 2014.

During my visit in 2015, Kati went into the water and played with a blue ball. She had a great time, just like a cub.

Kati gets a snack of some meat and fish. She does like her snacks. This was in 2015.

Happy Birthday Katjuscha!

 I hope you get some good snacks today!