What is the most popular exhibit in the zoo? Well, the polar bears, of course!
Something about their white and fluffy massiveness, and a potential for goofing around in front of an audience makes them a top draw in North American zoos. In fact, Polar Bears International calls them "the most-visited animals in the zoo," noting that "people of all ages are entranced by their beauty, their playfulness, and their strength."
The recent adoption into the Louisville Zoo of an orphaned-but-adorable polar bear cub – accompanied by plenty of national media attention – will no doubt move even more visitors to seek out the polar bear exhibits this summer of 2011. The cub, named Qannik by her rescuers at the Alaska Zoo, (pronounced Ken-ick; it is Inupiat for ‘Snowflake’) arrived in Louisville, KY, June 29.
Qannik at Home in Louisville
Qannik’s "homecoming" – as numerous delightful You Tube videos show – featured a thriving polar bear cub, as the star of her own drama. Escorted by trainers from both zoos, she peered out from her travel crate, like any curious 5 month-old baby animal, impatient but eager for what might be next.
She appears to have experienced a happy turn-around, based on a description of the day of her rescue in late April, offered at the Alaska Dispatch: after a day-long journey from Alaska’s North Slope "the nearly 4-month-old cub showed up at the zoo in a large dog kennel, stressed out and severely underweight."
In a collaboration dubbed Operation Snowflake, the Alaska Zoo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Polar Bears International had worked to first, capture and rehabilitate the frightened and malnourished cub, and then, find the perfect zoo home in which to settle her. Once the Louisville Zoo was selected, staff from that zoo flew to Anchorage to get acquainted with their new bear, and learn from her temporary trainers at the Alaska Zoo. Then UPS joined the collaboration, donating the flight from Anchorage to Louisville, for the cub and trainers from both zoos.
Prelude to Operation Snowflake
There have been many news accounts of Qannik’s story, but one offering abundant details about the little bear’s early days appears at the above-mentioned Alaska Dispatch. Reporter Jill Burke has written about the first sighting of Qannik and her twin, born in January, and their mother, by workers at a drill site on the ConocoPhillips Alpine oil field along the Beaufort Sea.
This sighting was reported to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – mandatory since polar bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act. One day for reasons unknown, Burke reports, the mother and one cub were gone, causing oil company and wildlife officials together, to organize a two-day aerial search for the remaining abandoned cub’s family. Having no success, they were forced to make a tough decision: rescue the bear, meaning she would live in captivity for the rest of her life, or leave her in the wild to die.
"Getting separated is a part of nature," Rosa Meehan, Division Chief for Marine Mammals for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, observed about the polar bear’s abandonment, while also acknowledging the tough situation this cub was in.
Polar Bears in Zoos Can Be Ambassadors from the Arctic
Polar Bears International sees in Qannik’s story and her captive life to come, an opportunity for building support for the conservation polar bears and their arctic habitat. A non-profit, PBI is dedicated to this cause, and its leadership believes firmly that zoos have a strong role to play in educating the public about the bears' all-important sea ice habitat (see photo below), climate issues and sustainable living.
PBI has compiled a list of 38 zoos that it has designated Arctic Ambassador Centers, because they combine an excellent physical environment for their animals, with an educational program on these issues.
Several Midwest Zoos With New Arctic Displays
With the opening of its new 4-acre Glacier Run, modeled on the village of Churchill in Manitoba, the Louisville Zoo, joins a growing number of zoos with impressive new exhibit areas for their arctic animals. The zoo states that Glacier Run offers "spectacular views, captivating stories of the arctic and opportunities for close-up encounters . ." with its two polar bears – Qannik, who will be on exhibit when she is fully adjusted to her new home, and 26-year old Arki – as well as its grizzly bears, seals and sea lions."
The Detroit Zoo claims its Arctic Ring of Life includes North America’s largest polar bear exhibit. Its Polar Passage – a 70-foot long, 8-foot high tunnel – leads visitors underneath swimming and diving polar bears and seals. The Great Bear Wilderness is Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo's new naturalistic habitat for iconic North American animals, including bison, bald eagles, grizzlies, the Mexican gray wolf, and the polar bear.
The links to the zoos designated by PBI as Arctic Ambassador Centers are a good resource for discovering zoos with Arctic programs all over North America.
Kathlin F. Sickel - Reading and writing in print and online. So much to uncover and report. Join me; let's see what we can discover.
