São Paulo Aquarium Polar Bears at Sao Paulo Aquarium
- Thread starter Duerener1
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The Polar bears at Sao Paulo Aquarium :
Brazil's first-ever polar bears to make public debut | Life | English edition | www.efe.com
Brazil's first-ever polar bears to make public debut | Life | English edition | www.efe.com
Elephas Maximus
Well-Known Member
Just as I said earlier in another thread - the bears were destined to be from Russia.
http://www.zoochat.com/797/zoo-perm-364005/#post815246
Bears arrived from Izhevsk zoo, where they were on loan, originally belonging to Kazan zoo.
Male was born at Kazan zoo in 2009, transferred to Izhevsk zoo in 2011. He was originally called Piligrim in Russia (renamed Peregrino which means the same).
Female was found orphaned in the wild (May 2010) along with her sister, both were primarily sent to Krasnoyarsk zoo, then Aurora was transferred to Kazan zoo and ultimately to Izhevsk zoo in 2011, while her sister (originally named Victoria) remained at Krasnoyarsk and was later renamed Aurora too, being acccompanied by male Felix (he was found orphaned in 2005)
Circus bear was also involved at the exchanges.
Wild-captured female Lapa was transferred from circus to Stary Oskol zoo in 2013 (when she turned 20 years - reproduction is still possible but chances are low, and she couldn't swim normally thanks to circis husbandry!)
Then a male named Commander Sedov joined her the same year (born at Leningrad zoo in 2002, transferred to Krasnoyarsk in 2004). He was loaned for 3 years. However, due to Stary Oskol zoo's financial troubles and inability to complete the exhibit, both bears were secretly transferred to Gelendzhik Safari Park without informing Krasnoyarsk zoo (which discovered the transfer post-factum from 3rd party sources and had to re-issue the loan contract).
http://www.zoochat.com/797/zoo-perm-364005/#post815246
Bears arrived from Izhevsk zoo, where they were on loan, originally belonging to Kazan zoo.
Male was born at Kazan zoo in 2009, transferred to Izhevsk zoo in 2011. He was originally called Piligrim in Russia (renamed Peregrino which means the same).
Female was found orphaned in the wild (May 2010) along with her sister, both were primarily sent to Krasnoyarsk zoo, then Aurora was transferred to Kazan zoo and ultimately to Izhevsk zoo in 2011, while her sister (originally named Victoria) remained at Krasnoyarsk and was later renamed Aurora too, being acccompanied by male Felix (he was found orphaned in 2005)
Circus bear was also involved at the exchanges.
Wild-captured female Lapa was transferred from circus to Stary Oskol zoo in 2013 (when she turned 20 years - reproduction is still possible but chances are low, and she couldn't swim normally thanks to circis husbandry!)
Then a male named Commander Sedov joined her the same year (born at Leningrad zoo in 2002, transferred to Krasnoyarsk in 2004). He was loaned for 3 years. However, due to Stary Oskol zoo's financial troubles and inability to complete the exhibit, both bears were secretly transferred to Gelendzhik Safari Park without informing Krasnoyarsk zoo (which discovered the transfer post-factum from 3rd party sources and had to re-issue the loan contract).
callorhinus
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the link!
eduardo_Brazil
Well-Known Member
The bears at not in Brasilia Zoo, but at São Paulo Aquarium.
The bears are living in a climatized indoor exhibit, so there's no motive for the weather to bother them. Besides that, are Russian-american relations healthy enough to exchange animals with each other?
The bears are living in a climatized indoor exhibit, so there's no motive for the weather to bother them. Besides that, are Russian-american relations healthy enough to exchange animals with each other?
Why should Russian-American relationships not be healthy enough for animal exchanges between zoos? Even during the hot phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war few years ago, zoos from both countries still made transfers / loans between each other.
The main problem of US zoos is that US law prohibits import of endangered marine mammals. This includes import of zoo-bred polar bears from abroad, including Canada.
Anyway, the US already holds a healthy population of polar bears, so it wouldn't be the biggest deal to receive more individuals...
Actually, the US zoo population of polar bears is in very bad shape, is aged and has serious lack of young breeding animals. Only very small number of cubs is born each year (1-2).
Well, to have a population that breeds means already a lot; but I agree with you that coming to Brazil wasn't indeed the best option for these individuals. The conditions they are kept here are pretty ok, but they don't seem to be involved in any breeding program, and I'm pretty sure the country's zoo community doesn't plan to spread them around and develop real conservation for the species.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I think these bears at the aquarium are just there to turn over a profit.
Yeah, in a nutshell, that's the true I see nowadays.
They're not the first polar bears to live in Brazil. An individual was imported back in the 1930's to the first zoo in São Paulo, located inside the Parque Aclimação (Acclimation Park). Also, according to a newspaper from the 1950's, there was a pair of "white bears" living at the Rio de Janeiro zoo, until the death of both specimens, in 1951. Lastly, some bears traveled along with the Garcia circus.
I think I might have heard at some point that Rio zoo kept polar bears indeed. About the one in São Paulo, there are even news comproving it too, as well as a picture:
Maurício, o primeiro urso polar a viver no Brasil. Mas isso lá em 1929 - Guia dos Curiosos
