North American Polar Bear Population 2023

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Neil chace said:
Interesting, I was under the impression they were housed together at Louisville. I stand corrected. Since Lee has already been at Louisville though, so is familiar with the staff and facilities, plus the fact Lee is proven, still make him the ideal choice for breeding with Qannik.
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Fair point, plus he as not as well represented in the population compared to Hudson and his nephews.
 
MeiLover said:
Qannik has not been socially paired with Lee, so I wouldn’t say they’re exactly compatible in that way.

I wonder if Kalluk could be considered for breeding recs as well, but wouldn’t be surprised given he is an older individual.
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Lee and Qannik had some form of limited contact though, right? I don't necessarily think that means very much but I always thought they had been semi-introduced.

I had the same thoughts about Kalluk.


Neil chace said:
Since Lee has already been at Louisville though, so is familiar with the staff and facilities, plus the fact Lee is proven, still make him the ideal choice for breeding with Qannik.
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I completely agree that Lee is a great candidate for potential breeding with Qannik, but I wonder if moving Payton was a part of a bigger plan. At the very least, I would understand if the decision to move Payton was an attempt to see whether he is fertile and Anana was the issue in (what would have been) his previous pairing.
 
Apparently Luna has left her den. There is a post on Facebook celebrating her eleventh birthday and a photograph accompanying it. There are eleven candles on her cake, so the picture was probably taken this year. It's unfortunate she hasn't had cubs this year (or ever).
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wild boar said:
Apparently Luna has left her den. There is a post on Facebook celebrating her eleventh birthday and a photograph accompanying it. There are eleven candles on her cake, so the picture was probably taken this year. It's unfortunate she hasn't had cubs this year (or ever).
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She didn't even enter her den at all this year.
 
Julio C Castro said:
According to a newsletter I received, the San Diego Zoo’s next project is a renovation of Polar Bear Plunge and alludes to holding polar bears in the future. Posted it on the SDZ 2023 news thread as well :)
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Recently visited the exhibit, and there is a lot of regret that hormonal implant birth control was used and impacted their ability to breed. I am hopeful they can be successful in the future, they have a good exhibit and the improvements will only make it better. Obviously they will need new bears, but if it is true that rescue bears can now breed, that could change the trajectory of the US population.
 
Neil was diagnosed with something called gastric dilation-volvulus, a life-threatening condition that was thankfully diagnosed and addressed with an emergency operation in time to save his life. He has gone back to spending time with Kulu and Nan. I know they all have really strong relationships with each other, especially Nan and Neil. I don't really think news like this it too unexpected given Neil's age (he's the oldest male in the United States of America and the second oldest captive-born bear), but I am very happy to see him pull through. Hopefully he'll continue to be healthy and in good spirits!

Comfort Food and Companionship Help Polar Bear Neil Make a Strong Recovery - Como Friends
 
A news article in the Louisville Zoo member magazine states the ban on wild polar bears owned by the US Fish & Wildlife has been lifted. Payton, before his death, was slated to breed with Qannik. Now this allows Qannik, Kali and the cub at the Alaska Zoo to breed with the captive US polar bear population and maybe more orphan wild cubs can be rescued by US zoos.
 
blospz said:
A news article in the Louisville Zoo member magazine states the ban on wild polar bears owned by the US Fish & Wildlife has been lifted. Payton, before his death, was slated to breed with Qannik. Now this allows Qannik, Kali and the cub at the Alaska Zoo to breed with the captive US polar bear population and maybe more orphan wild cubs can be rescued by US zoos.
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I mentioned that info on the previous page via the Rossifari podcast :)
 
TinoPup said:
It's helpful to have further confirmation, especially in the form of an official zoo publication.
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That’s fair, but this was also confirmed by a zookeeper at the North Carolina Zoo being interviewed on that podcast.
 
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