Polar bears in Europe

What I can find is that Sóstó Zoo started keeping polar bears in 2003. In 2003 Ootek came to Sóstó Zoo and in 2008 Jorek came to Sóstó Zoo. I can't find anything about a possible second polar bear that would have lived with Ootek before Jorek's arrival.

There was also the female Spunky. She arrived on 15 February 2003 and died in 2008.
 
Polar bear female Charlotte left Karlsruhe Zoo this morning and is on her way to Zoosafari Fasanolandia in Italy. Only polar bear male Kap is now in Karlsruhe. He is one of the most genetically valuable polar bears in Europe. Therefore, a new female will soon come to Karlsruhe for him to breed with.

Source: Facebook Zoologischer Stadtgarten Karlsruhe
How many polar bears are kept in Italy?
 
Just like last year, I have made a list of the current population to start the beginning of the year with. The list was made using updates done by the zoos themselves and some Holding Request I did at Species360 this year.

As always, if you see a mistake in the list, or you know more about one of the animals, please let me know.

There are currently 139 (59,79,1) Polar bears living in Europe.

AUSTRIA - 2 (2,0,0)
Tiergarten Schönbrunn Vienna (2,0,0)

1,0 Nanuq (30-11-2007, Tiergarten Schönbrunn)
1,0 Ranzo (18-11-2011, Ranua Wildlife Park)

BELGIUM - 7 (3,4,0)
Pairi Daiza (2,2,0)

1,0 Belij (22-11-2015, Izhevsk Zoo)
1,0 Szerij (22-11-2015, Izhevsk Zoo)
0,1 Nuka (26-11-2016, Aalborg Zoo)
0,1 Qilak (26-11-2016, Aalborg Zoo)

Monde Sauvage (1,2,0)
1,0 Nanuk (24-11-2012, Zoo Brno)
0,1 Blanche (01-12-1993, Monde Sauvage)
0,1 Qannik (25-11-2010, Monde Sauvage)

CZECH REPUBLIC - 2 (1,1,0)
Zoo Brno (0,1,0)

0,1 Cora (27-11-1998, St. Petersburg Zoo)

Zoo Praha (1,1,0)
1,0 Tom (23-11-2007, Zoo Brno)

DENMARK - 13 (4,9,0)
Aalborg Zoo (0,3,0)

0,1 Malik (19-12-2000, Aalborg Zoo)
0,1 Inuk (05-12-2019, Aalborg Zoo)
0,1 Imaq (05-12-2019, Aalborg Zoo)

Copenhagen Zoo (0,2,0)
0,1 Noel (03-12-2003, ZooSafari Fasanolandia)
0,1 Lynn (01-12-2011, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)

Skandinavisk Dyrepark Kolind (4,4,0)
1,0 Nanok (05-12-2001, Monde Sauvage Safaripark)
1,0 Boris (12-11-2005, Moscow Zoo)
1,0 Vicks (06-12-2010, Diergaarde Blijdorp)
1,0 Siku (22-11-2011, Skandinavisk Dyrepark)
0,1 Nuno (21-11-2012, Skandinavisk Dyrepark)
0,1 Inuvik (06-12-2019, Kopenhagen Zoo)
0,1 Nivi (12-12-2021, Skandinavisk Dyrepark)
0,1 Anori (12-12-2021, Skandinavisk Dyrepark)

ESTONIA - 2 (1,1,0)
Tallinn Zoo (1,1,0)

1,0 Rasputin (19-11-2007, Moscow Zoo)
0,1 Frida (16-12-2002, Tallinn Zoo)

FINLAND - 1 (0,1,0)
Ranua Wildlife Park (0,1,0)

0,1 Venus (09-12-2004, Zoo Rostock)

FRANCE - 14 (8,6,0)
CERZA Hermival-les-Vaux (2,2,0)

1,0 Pixel (16-11-2012, Dierenrijk)
1,0 Nissan (12-12-2013, Izhevsk Zoo)
0,1 Nicky (25-11-2015, Dierenrijk)
0,1 Simone (25-11-2015, Dierenrijk)

Zoo La Flèche (2,1,0)
1,0 Taiko (24-11-2010, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
1,0 Aron (26-11-2016, Tallinn Zoo)
0,1 Quintana (21-11-2016, Tierpark Hellabrunn)

Parc Zoo du Reynou Le Vigen (2,0,0)
1,0 Nanu (21-11-2012, Skandinavisk Dyrepark)
1,0 Todz (02-12-2014, Diergaarde Blijdorp)

Zoo Mulhouse (0,3,0)
0,1 Sesi (24-11-2010, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
0,1 Anori (04-01-2012, Zoo Wuppertal)
0,1 Kara (22-11-2020, Zoo Mulhouse)

Zoo d'Amnéville (2,0,0)
1,0 Henk (26-11-2005, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
1,0 Akiak (22-11-2014, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)

GERMANY - 27 (4,23,0)
Tierpark Berlin (0,2,0)

0,1 Tonja (14-11-2009, Moscow Zoo)
0,1 Hertha (01-12-2018, Tierpark Berlin)

Zoo am Meer Bremerhaven (0,3,0)
0,1 Valeska (09-12-2004, Zoo Rostock)
0,1 Anna (08-12-2019, Zoo am Meer Bremerhaven)
0,1 Elsa (08-12-2019, Zoo am Meer Bremerhaven)

Zoom-Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen (1,2,0)
1,0 Bill (23-11-2007, Zoo Brno)
0,1 Antonia (24-11-1989, Zoo Karlsruhe)
0,1 Lara (01-12-2004, Tiergarten Schönbrunn)

Tierpark Hagenbeck (0,2,0)
0,1 Victoria (15-12-2002, Tierpark Hagenbeck)
0,1 Anouk (19-12-2022, Tierpark Hagenbeck)

Zoo Hannover (1,2,0)
1,0 Sprinter (13-12-2007, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
0,1 Vera (21-11-2002, Moscow Zoo)
0,1 Milana (16-11-2009, Moscow Zoo)

Zoo Karlsruhe (1,0,0)
1,0 Kap (16-10-2000, Moscow Zoo)

Tierpark Hellabrunn München (0,3,0)
0,1 Giovanna (28-11-2006, ZooSafari Fasanolandia)
0,1 Nuna (07-11-2016, Zoo Mulhouse)
0,1 Nanook (04-12-2017, Zoom-Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen)

Tierpark Neumünster (1,1,0)
1,0 Vitus (02-12-2000, Zoo Rostock)
0,1 Larissa (05-12-1990, Diergaarde Blijdorp)

Tiergarten Nürnberg (0,3,0)
0,1 Elva (26-11-2018, Dierenrijk)
0,1 Finja (09-11-2019, Tiergarten Schönbrunn)
0,1 Nana (20-11-2019, Zoo Hannover)

Zoo Rostock (0,5,0)
0,1 Sizzel (02-12-2014, Diergaarde Blijdorp)
0,1 Noria (21-11-2015, Zoo Brno)
0,1 Lili (11-12-2015, Zoo am Meer Bremerhaven)
0,1 Kaja (14-11-2021, Zoo Rostock)
0,1 Skadi (14-11-2021, Zoo Rostock)

HUNGARY - 3 (2,1,0)
Budapest Zoo (1,0,0)

1,0 Lloyd (26-11-2000, Tiergarten Schönbrunn)

Sóstó Zoo (1,1,0)
1,0 Fiete (03-12-2014, Zoo Rostock)
0,1 Sneschana (10-11-2014, Moscow Zoo)

ITALY - 2 (0,2,0)
ZooSafari Fasanolandia (0,2,0)

0,1 Grace (06-12-2012, ZooSafari Fasanolandia)
0,1 Charlotte (21-11-2014, Tiergarten Nürnberg)

THE NETHERLANDS - 14 (6,7,1)
Wildlands Emmen (0,3,0)

0,1 Noordje (16-11-2012, Dierenrijk)
0,1 Nela (09-12-2013, Tierpark Hellabrunn)
0,1 Lale (16-12-2013, Zoo am Meer Bremerhaven)

AquaZoo Leeuwarden (2,0,0)
1,0 Felix (24-11-2001, Tiergarten Schönbrunn)
1,0 Rocky (11-12-2002, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)

Dierenrijk (1,1,1)
1,0 Wilbär (10-12-2007, Wilhelma Stuttgart)
0,1 Frimas (??-??-2002, Wild)
0,0,1 ? (28-11-2023, Dierenrijk)

Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen (1,3,0)
1,0 Yuka (27-11-2019, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
0,1 Huggies (??-??-1993, Wild)
0,1 Freedom (06-12-2001, Kolmarden Wildlife Park)
0,1 Sura (22-11-2014, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)

Diergaarde Blijdorp Rotterdam (2,0,0)
1,0 Wolodja (27-11-2011, Moscow Zoo)
1,0 Nivi (26-11-2018, Dierenrijk)

POLAND - 2 (2,0,0)
Warsaw Zoo (2,0,0)

1,0 Aleut (02-12-2010, Tiergarten Nürnberg)
1,0 Gregor (02-12-2010, Tiergarten Nürnberg)

RUSSIA - 33 (15,18,0)
Chelyabinsk Zoo (1,1,0)

1,0 Altin (??-??-2000, Wild)
0,1 Irisha ( 06-12-2002, Perm)

Gelendzhik Safaripark (1,3,0)
1,0 Sedov (29-11-2002, St. Petersburg Zoo)
0,1 Lapa (??-??-1992, Wild)
0,1 Snezhinka (??-??-2013, Wild)
0,1 Sereshki (??-??-2014, Wild)

Izhevsk Zoo (1,1,0)
1,0 Balou (??-??-2013, Wild)
0,1 Dumka (??-??-2004, Wild)

Kazan Zoo (1,0,0)
1,0 Terpey (??-??-2002, Wild)

Krasnoyarsk Zoo (2,2,0)
1,0 Felix (??-??-2005, Wild)
1,0 Yermak (01-12-2020, Gelendzhik Safaripark)
0,1 Ursula (??-??-2017, Wild)
0,1 Marfa (??-??-2018, Wild)

Limpopo Zoo (0,1,0)
0,1 Umka Ayan (??-??-2016, Wild)

Moscow Zoo (0,3,0)
0,1 Simona (27-11-1994, St. Petersburg Zoo)
0,1 Ajka (26-11-2020, Rostov-on-Don)
0,1 ? (??-??-????, ?)

Novosibirsk Zoo (2,2,0)
1,0 Krassin (27-11-2007, St. Petersburg Zoo)
1,0 ? (??-??-????, ?)
0,1 Gerda (20-11-2007, Moscow Zoo)
0,1 ? (??-??-????, ?)

Penza Zoo (1,0,0)
1,0 Bely (??-??-2010, Wild)

Perm Zoo (1,1,0)
1,0 Seriku (??-??-2012, Wild)
0,1 Yumki (16-12-2012, Kazan Zoo)

Rostov-on-Don Zoo (1,1,0)
1,0 Aion (??-??-2009, Wild)
0,1 Kometa (24-11-2012, Zoo Brno)

Leningradsky Zoopark St. Petersburg (0,1,0)
0,1 Chaartschaana (30-11-2016, Yakutsk Zoo)

Seversk Zoo (1,0,0)
1,0 UD (29-11-1991, Kazan Zoo)

Moscow Zoo Breeding nursery center (1,0,0)
1,0 Nikolay (??-??-2015, Wild)

Khabarovsk Zoo (1,0,0)
1,0 Almaz (??-12-2019, Yakutsk Zoo)

Yakutsk Zoo (1,1,0)
1,0 Lomossow (25-11-2011, St. Petersburg Zoo)
0,1 Kolymana (??-??-2011, Wild)

Yekaterinburg Zoo (0,1,0)
0,1 Katanga (??-??-2019, Wild)

UKRAINE - 2 (0,2,0)
Nikolaev Zoo (0,2,0)

0,1 Zefirka (27-11-2011, Moscow Zoo)
0,1 Smetanka (08-12-2017, Nikolaev Zoo)

UK - 16 (11,5,0)
Yorkshire Wildlife Park (6,2,0)

1,0 Luka (01-12-2011, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
1,0 Nobby (09-12-2013, Tierpark Hellabrunn)
1,0 Sisu (21-11-2016, Ranua Wildlife Park)
1,0 Hamish (18-12-2017, Highland Wildlife Park)
1,0 Indiana (26-12-2019, Marineland Antibes)
1,0 Yuma (26-12-2019, Marineland Antibes)
0,1 Flocke (11-12-2007, Tiergarten Nürnberg)
0,1 Tala (26-12-2019, Marineland Antibes)

Highland Wildlife Park Kingussie (3,1,0)
1,0 Arktos (30-11-2007, Tierpark Schönbrunn)
1,0 Walker (07-12-2008, Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen)
1,0 Brodie (13-12-2021, Highland Wildlife Park)
0,1 Victoria (12-12-1966, Zoo Rostock)

Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park (0,1,0)
0,1 Ewa (26-11-2005, Ouwehands Dierenpark)

Peak Wildlife Park (2,1,0)
1,0 Nanook (29-11-2021, Orsa Rovdjurspark)
1,0 Noori (29-11-2021, Orsa Rovdjurspark)
0,1 Hope (26-11-2014, Marineland Antibes)

Besides this list, this time I have also made a short overview of what, as far as I know, happened within the European population last year.

Births
To my knowledge, one polar bear was born last year that is currently still alive.

Deaths
To my knowledge, 6 polar bears died last year. Females Marissa (29), Imaq (4), Zabava (9), Anina (24), Berta (19) and Miki (9).

Transfers
To my knowledge, 15 polar bears moved to another zoo last year.

Number of holders
Last year, Orsa Rovdjurspark stopped keeping polar bears. Their polar bears moved to two new holders, Jimmy's Farm and Peak Wildlife Park.
 
Next spring there will be a change among the polar bears at Zoo Praha. After the death of female Berta last year, only male Tom remains in Prague. On the advice of the coordinator of the European breeding programme, Tom will leave for Almaty Zoo in Kazakhstan this spring.

After Tom's move, the two males Gregor and Aleut from Warsaw Zoo will move to Prague.

Source: Zoo Praha
 
Pairi Daiza is currently home to two female and two male polar bears. The female bears share an enclosure and are separated from the males. But that is about to change. In the coming days, the bears will be carefully introduced to each other. The zoo hopes the animals will provide offspring in the future.
 
A polar bear was recently born at Dierenrijk. Parents of the cub are Wilbar and Frimas. According to Dierenrijk, they are currently genetically the most important pair in Europe. There are currently only three polar bear couples with a breeding recommendation.

Source: Dierenrijk
The cub is a male. He has been given the name Otis.

Source: Facebook Dierenrijk
 
Next spring there will be a change among the polar bears at Zoo Praha. After the death of female Berta last year, only male Tom remains in Prague. On the advice of the coordinator of the European breeding programme, Tom will leave for Almaty Zoo in Kazakhstan this spring.

After Tom's move, the two males Gregor and Aleut from Warsaw Zoo will move to Prague.

Source: Zoo Praha
Tom moved to Almaty Zoo yesterday.

Source: Facebook Zoo Praha
 
The 23-year-old male Lloyd will soon move from Zoo Budapest to Sóstó Zoo.

Source: Facebook Zoo Budapest

For several years in a row, the offspring of polar bears at Tallinn Zoo have died shortly after birth. It has therefore been decided that polar bears Frida and Rasputin will no longer have offspring together. The coordinator of the breeding programme will now look for a female with good genes for the male Rasputin. The older female Frida is now ‘retired’.

Source (found via Eisbären im Zoo - Polar Bears in Zoos): Звездная пара Таллиннского зоопарка больше не вступит в „отношения“: медведю подыскивают новую невесту
 
3-year-old female polar bear Inuvik has moved from Copenhagen Zoo to Skandinavisk Dyrepark. At that age, polar bear cubs often leave their mothers. She is likely to stay temporarily at Skandinavisk Dyrepark before a final home is found for her. Should she form a match with one of the males present, she could stay. Otherwise, she will probably move again next year.

At Copenhagen Zoo, the move was also convenient. Damage was found to the pool in the enclosure. The two other polar bears will stay in the old polar bear enclosure for the next few months. So that the pool can be repaired.

Sources:
Facebook Copenhagen Zoo
Facebook Skandinavisk Dyrepark
Following the renovation of the polar bear enclosure in Copenhagen, Inuvik moved back from Skandinavisk Dyrepark to Copenhagen Zoo at the end of April.

Source: Facebook Skandinavisk Dyrepark

Next spring there will be a change among the polar bears at Zoo Praha. After the death of female Berta last year, only male Tom remains in Prague. On the advice of the coordinator of the European breeding programme, Tom will leave for Almaty Zoo in Kazakhstan this spring.

After Tom's move, the two males Gregor and Aleut from Warsaw Zoo will move to Prague.

Source: Zoo Praha
13-year-old brothers Gregor and Aleut arrived in Prague from Warsaw yesterday. This means the Warsaw Zoo no longer has polar bears. But a new polar bear enclosure is planned for the future.

Source: Facebook Miroslav Bobek (Director of Zoo Praha)

The 23-year-old male Lloyd will soon move from Zoo Budapest to Sóstó Zoo.

Source: Facebook Zoo Budapest
Lloyd has since moved to Sóstó Zoo. This means Zoo Budapest no longer has polar bears.
 
Polar bear Tom transferred from Praha Zoo less than two months ago, died in Almaty Zoo 4th of May.
 
Lloyd is already in Sóstó Zoo. The zoo opened last Friday it's new arctic area where the polar bears have next to the outdoor enclosures, a low temperatured climatised indoor hall with glass roof and 4 meters deep pool with fishes. All the 3 bears like fishing. The building also have a 0°C hall for King and Rockhopper penguins and there are Patagonian sealions, Arctic wolves, Arctic foxes and arctic eagles in the area.
Log in to Facebook
You can see more photos and videos on the facebook page of the zoo.
 
Lloyd is already in Sóstó Zoo. The zoo opened last Friday it's new arctic area where the polar bears have next to the outdoor enclosures, a low temperatured climatised indoor hall with glass roof and 4 meters deep pool with fishes. All the 3 bears like fishing. The building also have a 0°C hall for King and Rockhopper penguins and there are Patagonian sealions, Arctic wolves, Arctic foxes and arctic eagles in the area.
Log in to Facebook
You can see more photos and videos on the facebook page of the zoo.
* according the news they keep South American sea lions and Bald and Sea eagles.
 
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