Happy 12th Birthday to Qannik

 Once upon a time there was a little rescued polar bear named Qannik, who lived in the Louisville Zoo.

Qannik shortly after she arrived in Louisville in 2011.

Little Qannik back in mid-2011 in Louisville.

Well, that rescued little polar bear cub is now 12 years old, and weighs 550 pounds. She is very firm in her likes and dislikes. Does not want fish, but loves pumpkin. Loves to swim and hide things in her special hidey hole. Would rather sit in a window with her fans than do anything else.

The Louisville Zoo held their annual Qannik Birthday Party on Saturday, January 7, with lots of fans and well-wishers there to sing to the birthday girl. 

Keepers prop up the number 12 with some Christmas trees
for Qannik's celebration.

The keepers had prepared some ice bombes with pumpkin chunks and apple slices. They hid more pumpkin chunks in Christmas trees and decorated tissue boxes. They set out a lovely buffet for the birthday girl, and then they opened the door so she could descend the magical ramp and make a grand entrance like the Princess she is.

Qannik enters the "Party Zone"

                                  Quite the sweet buffet for the birthday girl.

Checking out the party buffet.

Qannik nods to her guests as they sing Happy Birthday to her.

Wow! Twelve years already!

Oh, some nice ice chunks!

Where to start?

Qannik wonders where the bartender might be.

The birthday girl can just help herself.

                                                                Blue or Pink?

                         Apples and Pumpkin chunks, yummy.

Crunch!

Looking for more...

Hey, I found another one.

By now, everyone knows the story of Qannik, the little rescued polar bear. She and her mother and sister were first noticed in the oil fields of the North Slope in January of 2011. Mother was collared and the cubs were given ear tags. The family was followed through the radio collar for a time, until it fell off the mom. In April, Qannik was found alone and starving, weighing just 15 pounds, probably separated from her mom and sister by a storm. No one really knows. 

Qannik was taken to the Alaska Zoo, where she was bottle-fed and pampered and recovered nicely from her ordeal. In late June, she was flown to the Louisville Zoo, where she was raised by loving keepers. 

And there she has lived in Louisville ever since. She has a deep diving pool where she has a lot of fun, and many toys, always something to do. There is another polar bear, an older male named Lee, and three grizzly bears, but while Qannik sees and smells them in the bedroom area, she is never with them.

Qannik still has the hole in her ear from the ear tag. Because she is property of Fish and Wildlife, she cannot be part of the breeding program, which is just fine with her because she likes being alone and the center of attention. She often sits by her window as her adoring fans admire her.

     An excellent 12th birthday party for Qannik, here resting 

                   in the overhead passage of Glacier Run.

Happy Birthday Qannik.

You have grown into a beautiful lady bear.

Farewell to Berlin

 

Berlin in the Como Zoo, shortly after she was rescued from the
Duluth Flood at the Lake Superior Zoo

Berlin in snow, winter of 2012-13 in Como Zoo.

She was a lovely bear, who could have told some incredible stories about her adventures if she could speak.

Berlin has left us, at the age of 33. She spent her last years at the Kansas City Zoo, where she was a well loved resident, known for her cheerful, fun-loving spirit.

                                             Berlin loved to play with balls

Along the way she lived with a longterm boyfriend, got to spend quality time with some relatives in Minnesota, and was companion to three different bears in the Kansas City Zoo. She even took up the hobby of gardening while in KC.

In a facebook post today, the Lake Superior Zoo posted about the loss of Berlin:

Director of Animal Management at the Lake Superior Zoo, Lizzy Larson said, “I was one of Berlin's caretakers for 3 years and the thing that I will remember most about Berlin was how incredibly smart she was. Everything Berlin did, had a purpose. She could solve every puzzle we gave her and I never found a toy she didn't like! I will fondly remember how enthusiastically she would jump into her pool to play. She has had the best care at all the facilities she's had the chance to live at and I know that she has touched countless hearts in her 33 years of life. We will all be mourning her loss."

In Lake Superior Zoo, Berlin liked to toss a ball back and forth with visitors. She is fondly remembered by many for her fun-loving ways.

Berlin and her twin brother Yukon were born December 11, 1989 in the Cincinnati Zoo. Berlin was named for current events in Germany, the fall of the Berlin Wall. The twins' parents were Connie (Amy), who was granddaughter of Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo, and Icee, who was born in Louisville. Berlin and Yukon were the only cubs ever born and raised at the Cincinnati Zoo. Connie and Icee had no other cubs.

Yukon moved to Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester YN, and died in 2008, but did father four cubs with Aurora there: Anana now in North Carolina, Haley now in Memphis, Lee now in Louisville (and the father of Kulu), and Anoki now in her birthplace of Rochester again. Berlin never did have any cubs, but spent much of her earlier life with Bubba, who was Aurora's brother.

When she was just a year old, Berlin moved north from Cincinnati to the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth Minnesota. She was soon joined by a male of the same age named Bubba, who was a charismatic, playful and entertaining bear.   

Bubba and his twin sister Aurora were born in the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City in November of 1989, and their parents were mother Chinook and father Cheechacko.  When Bubba died of liver failure at the young age of 17 in August of 2007, the Lake Superior Zoo even had a "celebration of life" for this beloved icon. Berlin became even more active and playful without Bubba there.

Life was just about perfect for Berlin in Duluth, until the Great Flood of June 21, 2012. When nine inches of rain fell in Duluth in just a few hours, some low areas of the zoo, which was built along a river, were deluged. Two harbor seals, Feisty and Vivian, escaped into the city streets. A dozen animals drowned. Berlin's enclosure was flooded and broken. At 5 a.m., she was found sitting on a rock near her home, waiting to be rescued. She was darted and safely moved to a secure location, but her enclosure was destroyed. Berlin was homeless.

A few hours drive to the South, Berlin's uncles Neil and Buzz had some extra room in their newly rebuilt home at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, so Berlin was invited to move in. After a month's required quarantine, Berlin was introduced to Neil and Buzz, a couple of laid back twin brothers, somewhat younger than Berlin. Berlin's father Icee was older brother to Neil and Buzz.

                                              Berlin and her Uncle Buzz

                                       

The reunited family got along just great. Neil and Buzz allowed their niece Berlin to be the boss. Berlin again thought that she was in the perfect place. She had wonderful big pools in which to swim, piles of snow, lots of toys, and two other bears who let her be in charge. My daughter Corinna visited the bears and took some of the photos featured here. 

                 Berlin, right, with one of her uncles peeking out

Six months after the flood, Berlin was sent to Kansas City to be companion to an active, playful young male named Nikita, who was only 6 years old but had lived in Kansas City for a couple of years already, so it was his territory. He was the boss. Nikita was the star of the Kansas City Zoo.  Nikita wanted Berlin to play with him, but she would have none of it. Nikita, the son of Nan and Marty, was big and bold and young and full of energy and clearly dominant. Berlin mostly avoided him.

Berlin

For the next three years, the bears lived together, but Berlin would keep to the side, and let Nikita be the star, always with a wary eye watching out for him. I used to watch them on the bears' webcam, and noticed that we didn't see the two bears together. Then in January of 2016, the popular Nikita was moved out in the dark of night. He went to Asheboro, North Carolina to be with a young girl bear, Berlin's niece Anana (daughter of brother Yukon). Nikita's fans in Kansas City were crushed. They complained that now only the boring old lady bear was left, and she was no fun. (Nikita is now in Salt Lake City).

                                                       Berlin on patrol

For the next few weeks after Nikita's departure, Berlin keep looking around, thinking that her arch-nemesis might not really be gone. If she came across a toy that he had played with and still smelled like Nikita, she wanted nothing to do with it. Gradually, she realized that she was gloriously alone again, and she became more active, more playful, even at her advanced age of 27.

                                Berlin diving for a pear in KC

It was after Nikita left that Berlin took up gardening. She was given a melon to eat, and carefully planted a seed, which grew into a fine plant and produced a melon, which Berlin let grown until it reached the perfect state of ripeness, then she picked and ate her harvest.

                                                             Berlin the gardener

I visited her in 2017, and marveled at how active she was, even at her age. She was quite the swimmer too, retrieving various fruits and vegetables that the keepers threw into the pool. 

                                          Berlin waits for the keeper 

                            to throw some more goodies into the pool. 

                                          Berlin diving for snacks

In 2018, another senior lady bear of about the same age, Fanny (better known as Bam Bam), moved in from the Henry Doorly Zoo in nearby Omaha.  The old ladies' club lasted about a year, and then Berlin's new friend Bam Bam passed away.

In late 2020, four year old Nuniq, born in Columbus Ohio, moved in, and Berlin could play grandmother to the youngster.

Now with the loss of Berlin, Nuniq is alone in that roomy grassy habitat. 

Berlin was well loved by her keepers, and as a playful bear, she had many fans who visited her. Berlin, at age 33, was the second oldest polar bear in human care in the world, the oldest being the famous dwarf bear Antonia in Gelsenkirchen Germany, just two weeks older.

Berlin was a special bear, and will be greatly missed.

Thanks to my daughter Corinna Troth for the photos of Berlin at the Como Zoo. 

Toledo Twins!

 

Crystal and her twins December 9 - dencam photo

Although the polar bear birthing season is not quite over, and rarely is one born in January, as far as I can see, the only cubs born and surviving in a zoo this year are Crystal and Nuka's twins in Toledo. This includes the zoos in Europe, Russia, Japan and the USA, although we get very little news from China.

There were twins born in Japan, but they only lived three days. Triplets born in Estonia did not stay, sadly. These are the only publicly announced births, besides Crystal, but sometimes zoos wait awhile before announcing, so it is possible there are cubs somewhere.

The European zoos have seen a good birthrate for their polar bears in recent years, and are now being careful not to overbreed, and thus have intentionally moved many polar bears to all-boy or all-girl groupings. With the closing of Orsa Bear Park in Sweden in October, homes are still needed for Ewa and her two year old daughter Miki, and Hope and her one year old twins.

Russia seems to be concentrating on using their valuable zoo space for orphaned or injured polar bears, and have announced no births this year. In the past, they have sent polar bear cubs to China, but this is thought to not be a good option. Very little is ever heard about these bears, once they go to China.

Canada also seems to be concentrating on their rescued orphan bears, and saw no births this year.

Japan saw two births two years ago, and another a year ago. 

Zoos in the US would love to see more polar bear births, but the population is shrinking and becoming more closely related. There were no cubs born in a US zoo last year, and only the Detroit cubs the year before. The Alaska Zoo has just announced that they are taking care of a rescued yearling orphan male bear.

Crystal is an experienced mother, having already given us twins Aurora and Anana, Siku, twins Suka and Sakari, Hope, and Bo. Her daughters Aurora, the late Anana and also Suka have all produced cubs.

Crystal nursing Sakari and Suka in 2013

 Nuka is the father of the two year old girls in Detroit, Astra and Laerke.

Nuka with Mother Suka and her daughter Astra in Detroit

The small but mighty Laerke, only 290 pounds.

Polar bear cubs have a high rate of mortality, estimated at 50 percent in the wild and in zoos, for they are quite immature and fragile at birth. I found this chart at Gelsenkirchen ZOOM in Germany, which shows zoo births for polar bear cubs worldwide 2001 through 2016.

 These Toledo twins have made it through the riskiest time, the first two weeks, and have settled into a routine of eating and sleeping and sometimes crawling around.

A dencam photo on Dec 11

I estimate that Crystal's twins were born around the middle of November. They will not be on public display until spring, but meanwhile, everyone is invited to watch the twins grow via webcam: Toledo cub dencam

Twins are quite common in polar bear births, but triplets are rare, occurring maybe once a decade in a zoo. Although polar bear twins are usually about the same size, Crystal's cubs are not. The big chubby one seems to be about three times the size of the small one, but both are active and seem to be doing well. Her last set of twins, Sakari the male and Suka the female, differed in size although not to the same degree as these twins.

Suka and Sakari.

The sad story of Swimmer

There was one other pair of polar bear cubs that were very different in size. Walker and Swimmer were  born in December 2008 in Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands to Huggies and Victor. A dencam had been set up to film their birth and early days for Sir David Attenborough's Frozen Planet series, for it would be folly to try to film a wild mother bear. Huggies' rescue as an orphan cub had been sponsored by Kimberly Clark, thus her name, and Walker and Swimmer were named after types of their diapers.

The Ouwehands twins emerged from the den in mid-March 2009, and won the hearts of all.  Less than a week later, Swimmer was dead. His mother had been teaching him to swim, and a later autopsy showed that a blood vessel in his chest had burst from the exertion, and he drowned. It is not known if this condition was related to his small size. Huggies and Walker mourned for lost little Swimmer for a long time, as the public watched. It was a very sad scene. Walker went on to become a fine healthy polar bear and now lives in Highland Wildlife Park. 

This link goes to a newspaper's series of photos from the first day the twins emerged and happily played: Walker and Swimmer pics

I will never forget little Swimmer. He was here for such a short time, but touched so many.

Nuka's daughters

Nuka's daughters in Detroit, Astra and Laerke, also differ greatly in weight. When they were about a year old, Astra weighed 200 pounds, and Laerke weighed half that. But Laerke had been very fragile at birth and had to be handraised in order to survive. It is possible that medication she needed as a baby might have held back her growth. In any case, she is doing well, although will never be much bigger than she is now at about 300 pounds.

This also brings to mind another small but mighty bear, the formidable Miss Antonia of Gelsenkirchen Zoom. She was thought to be small but normal at birth, in Karlsruhe, but failed to grow like the other bears. She is a dwarf bear, weighing only about 300 pounds, but she is a feisty little thing, and is now, at age 32, is the oldest polar bear in the world (in a zoo, but wild bears don't live nearly as long as zoo bears so it is assumed she is the oldest).

Antonia of Gelsenkirchen ZOOM, at 300 pounds,
the oldest polar bear in the world

We all hope that both of Crystal's cubs grow up strong and healthy. When they come out to greet their public, I will visit as often as I can and watch these unusual twins grow and thrive. I am lucky that I live so near the only zoo with polar bear cubs in the world this year.

Crystal in September, just before denning up.
She was eating her vegetables.

Yes, Crystal, you must eat those vegetables.

Astra and Laerke - twins separated at birth

Laerke, the hand raised cub at the Detroit Zoo.
Her twin sister Astra was raised by their mother.

 

Astra plays with part of a spool and a bone joint in the Icepack region.

Laerke juggles the other part of the spool, in the Tundra area.

Twins Astra and Laerke will be two years old in two weeks. They share the same parents, and the same birthday. But these little girl cubs have lived separate and  parallel lives from almost the beginning.

Astra far away, and twin sister Laerke, closer. In October 2021.
They are separated by a moat.

They were born November 17, 2020, to parents Suka and Nuka in the Arctic Ring of Life of the Detroit Zoo. Suka had given birth during several previous seasons, but the cubs had been stillborn or short-lived. As the new mother was being watched via dencam, keepers could see that one of the cubs was struggling, and soon was nearly lifeless, so they intervened and took Laerke away for emergency medical help. 

So it happened that Astra was raised by her mother, and Laerke was bottle-fed and raised by humans. 

Astra and Laerke were the only cubs born in USA zoos in 2020, and no cubs have been born since, so they are the youngest polar bears in the USA.

In the spring of 2021, visitors to the zoo could see little cub Astra romping around the meadow with her mother Suka, while Laerke remained behind the scenes, a mysterious hidden cub. Later in the summer, Astra was introduced to the big saltwater pool, during which time father Nuka was rotated through whichever half of the habitat Suka and Astra were not occupying. 

Suka swimming with her cub Astra last year.

The Detroit Zoo has an amazing saltwater pool, with a viewing tunnel for visitors. Here are Suka and Astra last year.

Mother Suka has taught her daughter Astra through swimming and playing with her.  Laerke has had to learn on her own.

Mother Suka and daughter Astra play underwater games last year.

The underwater viewing tunnel is an astounding way
to experience the bears. Here are Astra and Suka.

Visitors get a unique close up view of the polar bears from the underwater tunnel.

Suka and Astra chasing underwater last year.

During those months, Laerke came out to play only after the zoo closed, and the public never saw her, except in a few tantalizing photos. 

Astra gained weight at a proper rate, but Laerke always lagged behind. As they approached their first birthday, Astra weighed 200 pounds, double that of her little sister. 

During those spring and  summer months, Astra was playing with her mom, learning social skills, swimming skills and more, learning how to be a bear. 

A scene from about a year ago, Astra, across the dividing moat, watches grizzly cub Jebbie and her sister Laerke,
maybe wanting to join in the fun.

Laerke on the left, her mother Suka on the right. While they are curious about each other, Suka does not realize that Laerke is her cub, and would feel that she had to defend Astra from the strange cub.
Photo from fall, 2021.

Laerke was doing well with her human caretakers, but needed a bear companion so she could learn the social skills of how to be a bear.  The zoo searched for such a cub, and a little grizzly bear boy named Jebbie, who had been found abandoned in Alaska, was brought to the Detroit Zoo as a companion for Laerke. This way both bears, Laerke and Jebbie the grizzly cub, could benefit by playing and interacting with another bear.

Jebbie and Laerke, last year.

The arrangement worked out very well, and the cubs played together for many months of important development, first behind the scenes, and then in October, the public could see Jebbie and Laerke play together in the tundra area for short periods, for Laerke had her limits, and would tire after an hour of hard play. Both cubs delighted in having a playmate, and benefited greatly from the friendship.

Laerke and Jebbie, in October of 2021.

Jebbie, being a grizzly and a land animal, would tend to stay on shore, and Laerke spent more time in the water, but these two were never far from each other.

Father Nuka in the Tundra area of the Detroit Zoo,
before his move to nearby Toledo.

To give Suka, her cubs and Jebbie more time to play outside, father Nuka moved to the Toledo Zoo, where he remains at this time, living with Suka's mother Crystal.

Laerke and Jebbie racing around in October of 2021.

The pairing of the polar and grizzly cubs worked well for most of a year, but Jebbie grew much faster than Laerke, and he also has some very long claws. Late this past summer, the keepers saw that Jebbie had outgrown the friendship. For safety reasons, the two cubs were separated, although they were still near each other in the bedroom area. In the fall, Jebbie was moved across the road to the grizzly bear area, where he had a small enclosure all to himself, while he awaited his big move. Jebbie is now in a huge wildlife sanctuary in Colorado, where has plenty of natural space, and he is reported to be doing very well there.  

Laerke chomps on a carrot, in September 2022.

Looking like she's playing a musical instrument, this is Laerke.

She is playing alone these days,  but Laerke is still having lots of fun. 

Showing her strength, Laerke plays.

Fluffy Laerke. The cubs had picked up lots of burrs in the Tundra area, so gardeners came in and cut those plants down.

So now Laerke is an "only child" again, but she is very good at entertaining herself with swimming in the big pool and tossing around toys. 

Astra with her mother Suka

Laerke with Keeper Rick. She keeps her eyes on him.

Keeper Rick throwing some snacks to Astra and Suka
 in the Ice Pack region of the Arctic Ring of Life.

Laerke has a real bond with her keepers, and likes to be near them, even when she is out in the enclosure. She needs this emotional support, just as Astra gets attention from her mother.

Laerke is drawn to the youngsters at the viewing window.

Laerke also loves the attention from the visitors, especially the children.

Laerke swimming to and fro.

Laerke still weighs a lot less than her sister. Astra now weighs about 500 pounds, and her little sister Laerke weighs 297. Their mom Suka weighs in at about 750 pounds. 

Laerke plays through the glass with a young visitor.

Laerke shows off her swimming skills.

A youngster is captivated by Laerke. 

Astra is stronger than her sister and has better coordination. Laerke got off to a rocky start, and she is still playing catch up. She has a strong spirit and plenty of determination, though.

Astra on the bottom, plays with a ring,
 as mother Suka tries to steal it.

Astra is strong and can lift the ring every which way.

Seal tricks from Astra.

Look Mom! Astra shows off for her mother Suka.

Laerke, the weaker twin playing by herself,
struggles to lift the ring, but still has fun with it.

Laerke frames herself with a fun toy,
 one that Jebbie liked to play with too.

The girls are approaching their second birthday, to be celebrated on November 17. The plan, as I understand it, is that when Astra is weaned and separated from Suka, the girls may very well be reunited, and Laerke will again have a playmate.

Astra and Suka, sometimes together, often apart these days.

Mother Suka is gradually distancing herself from Astra, preparing for weaning, but right now, there is still some nursing going on.

It is the way of polar bear world that cubs leave to start life on their own at about the age of two in the wild. Then father Nuka can return from Toledo, and be reunited with Suka. 

Astra swimming in the viewing tunnel area.
 She can swim and play all day.

Laerke swims well enough, but she doesn't have the stamina of her sister, and she wants to go back inside after swimming for an hour.

Laerke is still a lot smaller than her sister, so reuniting the two may be put off for awhile.

This is pure speculation, but I hear that Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington, after the death of elderly bears Boris and Blizzard, is redoing its polar bear habitat, and will be home to some polar bears in 2023. Maybe that is where the twins will end up.