While the Australasian bear population isn’t as extensive as the other groups, this thread will hopefully serve to record the births (I’m being a bit too optimistic aren’t I), deaths and transfers of the three species of bears within the Australasian region: Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus malayanus), Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus). An update of the list will occur when required and corrections/further information is welcomed and appreciated.
Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) in Australasian zoos:
There are currently seven Malayan Sun Bears in the Australasian region and all of them are either rescued bears or their offspring. Wellington Zoo was the first facility to breed the species and currently houses female Sasa, who was born at the zoo in 2006. She is New Zealand’s only bear currently. All three of the remaining rescued bears came from Cambodia via the Free the Bears organisation. Perth Zoo’s current female Bopha was being kept as a pet by a wealthy family. Their male, Jamran suffered an injury after being trapped by a snare with the intention of being sold into the restaurant trade. He carries the scar of his traumatic beginning as he had a toe amputated due to these injuries. The pair arrived in January 2007 and bred the following year producing Australia’s first sun bear cub in March 2008, Maly. She was transferred to Alma Park Zoo in June 2011 and later moved to Wildlife HQ where she remains to this day: Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - ZooChat
Canberra’s pair comprises of a Wellington-born male, Arataki and rescued female Otay. The female was imported in 2007 from Cambodia. This pair produced their first and only cub in 2010; a female called Mary. This is the current bear at Taronga. When she turns ten in a fortnight, it’s officially been a decade since the last successful sun bear birth occurred in the region. With such poor breeding results and an ageing group of individuals, the population is inevitably decreasing without imports. These are seven of the sun bears that have died within the last ten years or so:
*Victoria, was Taronga’s old female and was imported from Cambodia in 1997 as a rescued bear along with male Mr. Hobbs and another female, Lucille. She never bred at Taronga and died in July 2011. Canberra’s young female Mary was brought in the following year to take her place.
*Raya, was Alma Park Zoo’s bear. She was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and initially moved to Taronga Zoo. She moved to Queensland in 1997 and lived at Alma Park Zoo until her death at the impressive age of 32 in December 2011. Fortunately, the zoo received female Maly a few months before her death and housed her in a much larger enclosure until she moved to Wildlife HQ.
*Akbar, was Adelaide Zoo’s last sun bear. Born in approximately 1987, he was a wild born cub who was being kept as a pet. Akbar was rescued by Taping Zoo and moved to Adelaide in 1994. He was put to sleep in January 2018 at the age of 31. His former companion, female Manji died in February 2013 from liver cancer. She arrived from Singapore in 2007. Another female at Adelaide, Dewi was euthanised in 2010. Adelaide Zoo has not reacquired sun bears to date.
*Sean, was Wellington Zoo’s adult male. He was rescued by Free the Bears in 1997 after being found chained outside a store in Cambodia. After living at Perth Zoo, he moved to Wellington Zoo in 2004 and sired a daughter, Sasa in 2006. He was euthanised in December 2018.
*Mr Hobbs, is the most recent loss to the sun bear population. He was imported from Cambodia in 1997 along with the two females. He was later introduced to another female Mary for breeding but despite many years of trying, they never produced cubs. He was euthanised on 29th January 2021 leaving Taronga without a male bear.
National Zoo and Aquarium, ACT, Australia
1.0 Arataki (Bakti x Chomel) 10-04-1999 at Wellington Zoo
0.1 Otay (WIld x Wild) ~2004 in Cambodia
Perth Zoo, WA, Australia
1.0 Jamran (Wild x Wild) ~2000 in Cambodia
0.1 Bopha (Wild x Wild) 00-11-2002 in Cambodia
Taronga Zoo, NSW, Australia
0.1 Mary (Arataki x Otay) 25-02-2010 at National Zoo and Aquarium
Wellington Zoo, New Zealand
0.1 Sasa (Sean x Chomel) 22-09-2006 at Wellington Zoo
Wildlife HQ, QLD, Australia
0.1 Maly (Jamran x Bopha) 26-03-2008 at Perth Zoo
Sun Bear Population Total: 7 (2.5)
Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Australasian Zoos:
Giant Pandas are currently found at one Australasian zoo – Adelaide Zoo. The current pair moved to Adelaide in November 2009 and despite multiple attempts of AI and natural breeding, they have never produced a cub. In 2019, it was announced that the pandas will stay until late 2024 as part of a five-year extension on top of the 10-year loan. The zoo is/was considering acquiring another male to boost their chances of producing a cub.
Adelaide Zoo, SA, Australia
1.0 Wang Wang 31-08-2005 at Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre, China
0.1 Fu Ni 23-08-2006 at Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre, China
Giant Panda Population Total: 2 (1.1)
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Australasian zoos:
The only place that currently houses polar bears in the Australasian region is Sea World Gold Coast. This facility has housed polar bears since 2000 and have successfully bred polar bears on two occasions on 9th May 2013 (male Henry) and 25th April 2017 (female Mishka: Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - ZooChat). Henry was later exported to Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, Canada in October 2015. There are also plans to export female Mishka as well as of 2020 but I imagine these plans have been delayed due to COVID-19. On both occasions these cubs were part of a set of twins but only one cub survived in both cases. Sea World’s breeding female Liya (Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - ZooChat) arrived in 2001 from Leningrad Zoo, Russia but died due to a stroke in December 2019. Their two adult males, Hudson and Nelson were found as orphans in the wild and moved to Zoo Sauvage de St-Félicien, Quebec. They were transferred to Australia in 2004 and have always been housed together expect when they were individually introduced to Liya for breeding. *The sires of both offspring remain unknown to this day as both brothers were introduced to the female Liya on both occasions however they generally suspect that Nelson sired Henry and Hudson sired Mishka.
Sea World Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
1.0 Hudson (Wild x Wild) 00-12-2003 in Canada
1.0 Nelson (Wild x Wild) 00-12-2003 in Canada
0.1 Mishka (Hudson* x Liya) 25-04-2017 at Sea World Gold Coast
Polar Bear Population Total: 3 (2.1)
Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) in Australasian zoos:
There are currently seven Malayan Sun Bears in the Australasian region and all of them are either rescued bears or their offspring. Wellington Zoo was the first facility to breed the species and currently houses female Sasa, who was born at the zoo in 2006. She is New Zealand’s only bear currently. All three of the remaining rescued bears came from Cambodia via the Free the Bears organisation. Perth Zoo’s current female Bopha was being kept as a pet by a wealthy family. Their male, Jamran suffered an injury after being trapped by a snare with the intention of being sold into the restaurant trade. He carries the scar of his traumatic beginning as he had a toe amputated due to these injuries. The pair arrived in January 2007 and bred the following year producing Australia’s first sun bear cub in March 2008, Maly. She was transferred to Alma Park Zoo in June 2011 and later moved to Wildlife HQ where she remains to this day: Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - ZooChat
Canberra’s pair comprises of a Wellington-born male, Arataki and rescued female Otay. The female was imported in 2007 from Cambodia. This pair produced their first and only cub in 2010; a female called Mary. This is the current bear at Taronga. When she turns ten in a fortnight, it’s officially been a decade since the last successful sun bear birth occurred in the region. With such poor breeding results and an ageing group of individuals, the population is inevitably decreasing without imports. These are seven of the sun bears that have died within the last ten years or so:
*Victoria, was Taronga’s old female and was imported from Cambodia in 1997 as a rescued bear along with male Mr. Hobbs and another female, Lucille. She never bred at Taronga and died in July 2011. Canberra’s young female Mary was brought in the following year to take her place.
*Raya, was Alma Park Zoo’s bear. She was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and initially moved to Taronga Zoo. She moved to Queensland in 1997 and lived at Alma Park Zoo until her death at the impressive age of 32 in December 2011. Fortunately, the zoo received female Maly a few months before her death and housed her in a much larger enclosure until she moved to Wildlife HQ.
*Akbar, was Adelaide Zoo’s last sun bear. Born in approximately 1987, he was a wild born cub who was being kept as a pet. Akbar was rescued by Taping Zoo and moved to Adelaide in 1994. He was put to sleep in January 2018 at the age of 31. His former companion, female Manji died in February 2013 from liver cancer. She arrived from Singapore in 2007. Another female at Adelaide, Dewi was euthanised in 2010. Adelaide Zoo has not reacquired sun bears to date.
*Sean, was Wellington Zoo’s adult male. He was rescued by Free the Bears in 1997 after being found chained outside a store in Cambodia. After living at Perth Zoo, he moved to Wellington Zoo in 2004 and sired a daughter, Sasa in 2006. He was euthanised in December 2018.
*Mr Hobbs, is the most recent loss to the sun bear population. He was imported from Cambodia in 1997 along with the two females. He was later introduced to another female Mary for breeding but despite many years of trying, they never produced cubs. He was euthanised on 29th January 2021 leaving Taronga without a male bear.
National Zoo and Aquarium, ACT, Australia
1.0 Arataki (Bakti x Chomel) 10-04-1999 at Wellington Zoo
0.1 Otay (WIld x Wild) ~2004 in Cambodia
Perth Zoo, WA, Australia
1.0 Jamran (Wild x Wild) ~2000 in Cambodia
0.1 Bopha (Wild x Wild) 00-11-2002 in Cambodia
Taronga Zoo, NSW, Australia
0.1 Mary (Arataki x Otay) 25-02-2010 at National Zoo and Aquarium
Wellington Zoo, New Zealand
0.1 Sasa (Sean x Chomel) 22-09-2006 at Wellington Zoo
Wildlife HQ, QLD, Australia
0.1 Maly (Jamran x Bopha) 26-03-2008 at Perth Zoo
Sun Bear Population Total: 7 (2.5)
Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Australasian Zoos:
Giant Pandas are currently found at one Australasian zoo – Adelaide Zoo. The current pair moved to Adelaide in November 2009 and despite multiple attempts of AI and natural breeding, they have never produced a cub. In 2019, it was announced that the pandas will stay until late 2024 as part of a five-year extension on top of the 10-year loan. The zoo is/was considering acquiring another male to boost their chances of producing a cub.
Adelaide Zoo, SA, Australia
1.0 Wang Wang 31-08-2005 at Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre, China
0.1 Fu Ni 23-08-2006 at Woolong Giant Panda Research Centre, China
Giant Panda Population Total: 2 (1.1)
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Australasian zoos:
The only place that currently houses polar bears in the Australasian region is Sea World Gold Coast. This facility has housed polar bears since 2000 and have successfully bred polar bears on two occasions on 9th May 2013 (male Henry) and 25th April 2017 (female Mishka: Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - ZooChat). Henry was later exported to Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, Canada in October 2015. There are also plans to export female Mishka as well as of 2020 but I imagine these plans have been delayed due to COVID-19. On both occasions these cubs were part of a set of twins but only one cub survived in both cases. Sea World’s breeding female Liya (Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - ZooChat) arrived in 2001 from Leningrad Zoo, Russia but died due to a stroke in December 2019. Their two adult males, Hudson and Nelson were found as orphans in the wild and moved to Zoo Sauvage de St-Félicien, Quebec. They were transferred to Australia in 2004 and have always been housed together expect when they were individually introduced to Liya for breeding. *The sires of both offspring remain unknown to this day as both brothers were introduced to the female Liya on both occasions however they generally suspect that Nelson sired Henry and Hudson sired Mishka.
Sea World Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
1.0 Hudson (Wild x Wild) 00-12-2003 in Canada
1.0 Nelson (Wild x Wild) 00-12-2003 in Canada
0.1 Mishka (Hudson* x Liya) 25-04-2017 at Sea World Gold Coast
Polar Bear Population Total: 3 (2.1)
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