Last year's visit with Siku - Toledo Zoo

These pictures are from last year. I visited the Toledo Zoo in May of 2010 to meet Siku, the only polar bear cub in a U.S. Zoo last year. He was five months old when I visited. I'm sure he's much bigger now, and I plan to visit him again in July. No cubs born in U.S. Zoos survived this year, but there is a little girl cub in the Alaska Zoo, who is moving to the Louisville Zoo next week! She was born wild, but found abandoned. Her name is Qannik, and I will visit her as soon as she makes her public debut in Louisville.

The Arctic Encounter is right around the corner from the ticket gate. Because of all the attention given to the only polar bear zoo cub to survive that season in the entire country, the Toledo Zoo had arranged a viewing system. You stand in line for awhile, then groups of about 30-40 are ushered into a building, when a zoo employee shows a video, and gives information about Siku and his mother Crystal. Father Marty and another female Nan were out back, not on view. Siku weighed about 55 pounds, right on target for his age. He was born Dec. 3, 2009. Crystal had twin girls, Aurora and Anana, now age 5 and thriving in the Columbus Zoo (see previous postings).

Siku was fascinated with his little feet

Crystal and Siku

Mom, what are you doing?

Just waking up from naptime.

The beautiful Crystal

Do you want to play with me?

Siku had had his lunch and both mom and son were napping. The internal view enclosure was very high, you had to stand on a ledge to see them. He was cute napping; Crystal was sleeping too.

After a 4-5 minute talk, my group was allowed to go to the viewing area – and we were allowed 4-5 minutes to view the bears. Then we were supposed to leave. I had driven a long way from Cincinnati to see this little bear, and I wanted to see him in action. So I lingered. And lingered. Several groups had come and gone, and still I lingered.

Crystal woke up and moved around a little. Finally, Siku woke up, and ran out to the swimming area. This little cubbie had so much energy. He loved swimming, and he loved playing with the children who lined up at the window. He took turns between diving and schmoozing the kids at the window. The children were fascinated with him.

Crystal mostly paced back and forth while Siku swam and played.

Siku decided to swim to the outside area and play with the big balls and the huge floaty float. Then he came back and played with the kids some more.

Siku liked to sit in the shallow part of the pool and chew on his foot. He was fascinated with his feet at that age! Sometimes he would jump out of the pool and chase his mom, biting at her hind feet.

Crystal looked really good. Her fur was smooth and full, and she seemed to be pretty happy. Probably exhausted though, with Siku to look after. Mostly, she let him run and swim, and just kept watch.

It is a great place for a young bear to play. He had a little mountain to climb, a variety of pools, and some floaty toys. He seemed to want to play with the kids, though.

One father warned his child that the bear was looking at him for lunch. I knew better. Siku was looking for a playmate.

I told the zoo attendants that I was taking pictures for a worldwide polar bear consortium, so they let me stay. I tried to keep out of the way for all the people coming through.

I was impressed with the Toledo Zoo, but I didn’t like the time limit (which I ignored anyway). I suppose most families are seeing everything at the zoo, and their attention span is up in 5 minutes anyway.

I rode the African wilderness railroad, and that was fun. I wanted to spend most of my time with Siku and Crystal.

It was quite a day at the Toledo Zoo. I'm looking forward to seeing Siku as a 1 ½ year old cub next month.

A quick visit with Neil and Buzz on May 29 at Como Zoo in St. Paul MN. Their diving pool has sprung a leak, so it is closed and drained. Neil and Buzz are now using the left side enclosure until their pool is fixed.

Buzz plays ball

Neil attacks his ice bomb, full of treats.

Buzz

The zoo gave the boys a frozen ice bomb, and Neil went right to work. I only had about 10 minutes to see them, then I had to catch a plane. Neil and Buzz are lookin' good. And they had a big crowd to enjoy their antics.

Buzz and Neil catch a fish

On my second visit to Neil and Buzz in the Como Zoo, in February, 2011, Buzz caught the second fish in the eight months they had been in the new enclosure. He took it onshore, and Neil decided he wanted some too. Buzz really didn't want to share. Buzz, while a little bit smaller, is the dominant brother.
They both seemed much more interested in fishing after that. Maybe they have started to figure it out how to catch a fish - at age 15.

Neil smells the fish

Buzz has taken his catch away to a spot behind the rock. No sharing.

Buzz is looking for more fish.

There's a fish, going for it. Oh, just missed it!

Back Flip.

Neil demonstrates his training. Zookeeper inspects the presented paw.

An associate visited Neil and Buzz last week in early April, and reports that Neil is still spending his time napping in the central enclosure, and Buzz is playing, swimming and fishing in the right hand enclosure. Not much has changed. While food is hidden in the lefthand enclosure, and Neil did go there for a moment to retrieve a snack, the bears mostly stay center and right. The bears always seem to have a good crowd to watch their antics.

Neil and Buzz in their great new space.

The old polar bear accommodations at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota were cramped and not very stimulating for the brother bears who lived there. 15 year old Neil and Buzz, who had been born in the Louisville Zoo, came to Como in 2002.

When the Como Zoo decided to modernize and expand the polar bear digs, the brothers moved to the Arctic Ring of Life in the Detroit Zoo in May of 2008. The Arctic Ring of Life, at over four acres, is the largest of its kind in North America. While in Detroit, Neil and Buzz shared the habitat with retired circus bear Barle, her young daughter Talini, and Lee, who was visiting from Chicago. I visited them in the Detroit Zoo in July of 2009, and they loved having all that space. They really liked playing with Talini, who was 4 years old at the time.

Now these fun-loving brothers are back again in their newly renovated and expanded home in the Polar Bear Odyssey, which opened in June of 2010.

Neil (front) and Buzz (back)

Buzz

Buzz relaxes in the Minnesota snow on a cold February day.

Neil relaxes, half in, half out

Buz

The new Como habitat recently received the Three Diamond Rating by Polar Bears International, one of only two zoos in the world with that distinction.

Polar Bear Odyssey emulates a Hudson Bay ecosystem. The bears can play in a river-washed stream, surrounded by rocky cliffs and evergreen plantings. They also enjoy a 260 square foot digging pit filled with bark chips, gravel and sand. Treats are often hidden here for the boys to find.
Their new home is a 13,140 square foot outdoor habitat that is four times larger than the former polar bear exhibit. They have two pools of various depths. One pool contains live fish for the bears to catch and eat. The habitat has an indoor observation room for visitors, especially welcome in the winter. The two areas can be separated if needed.
On the day I visited in February, Buzz caught only their second fish since they moved back. They were still learning how to do this neat trick.

Tightrope walkers Anana and Aurora

Afternoon at the Columbus Zoo - Anana sniff out something yummy, and goes after it. Sister Aurora comes along and wants some too. The easiest way out to the treasure is to balance on some spindly branches and broken trees. The bears look like ballerinas as they balance their way along the "wire."

Anana sniffs out a hidden treat in the enclosure, buried in some old wood.

Time for a scratch. 

Move the wood to find the treat.

Anana: Here's my tongue.

Aurora wants some too.

What's the best way there?

 

I'll just walk on this tiny twig to get to my sister.

Aurora has good balance.

Anana tries the barrel roll on a big log.

Here comes Anana, balancing on the branches, trying to get to her sister.

Anana

I'm Queen of the World!