Here are some pictures of the construction I took today at Beardsley. They are still in the very early stages of the exhibit.
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North American Andean Bear Population
- Thread starter Valentinoamor
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Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
Does anybody here know if any of Nieve of the Toledo zoo’s 3 cubs are in the population still?
The bears shown on the previous page are all of the individuals that are currently in the population. Do you happen to know the date of their birth? They could have been transferred to Europe as well.
Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
No, I do not, sorry. All I know is that she’s had three cubs and she’s lived at Fort Wayne and Oglebay zoos before Toledo. She’s so old though that it’s entirely possible that her offspring died of old she already. Couldn’t find a definitive name or date for the life of me.
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Weird. I couldn't find the parents for all of the bears either, so it is highly possible that she is the mother to some of the bears present.
Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
There seems to be incredibly little information on any of the bars over 15 or so years old. It’s a shame because some are really important to the population. I also can’t even find an age for Pinocchio. Not a single article or interview or news report gave an age.
I cannot find information either. I'd think he's at least 7-8 years old. He's from the wild, so there is not much information on him.
Polar bear fan
Well-Known Member
You’re right. Still it is mentioned that he could not be released due to young age, I have a feeling they would have meant a year or less by that remark, so I don’t know why no one wrote it down in any publication.
I saw an article that mentioned he has been in captivity since he was ~4 weeks old.
I don’t know if the Andean Bear SSP is doing much work with Salisbury at the moment, as I don’t think they currently have their AZA-accreditation?
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
Pinocchio is about 9 years old. His age is pretty well known since he was a very young cub when he was confiscated by the Ecuadorian government, so even though he is wild born, he has spent almost his entire life under human care. Salisbury Zoo is still involved in the Andean bear SSP; as small as the US Andean bear population is, and considering that they've got one of the few pairs of proven breeders, the population can't afford not to have them.
That makes sense. I don't believe there will be any cubs born in Salisbury anytime soon, though.
There are no sources that says they plan on breeding.
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
I've heard from visiting friends that Pinocchio and Chaska have been seen mating earlier this year, so I wouldn't be too sure. Mating of course doesn't equal pregnancy, but it does suggest that they're giving them the opportunity. Which makes sense, considering how few breeding age females there are in the country
I wouldn't be surprised if they'd allow it. Several pairs of older bears - which would typically not be included in the breeding program - are going to be allowed to mate. The chances of success are extremely low, though.
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
There's at least a few young(ish) studs to keep things moving - Pinocchio, Turbo, Bouba - so hopefully they're enough to carry the population. To be fair though, even the old guys can surprise us. The male at Salisbury prior to Pinocchio was a blind, 22-year-old bear with a history of not getting along with other bears when he was introduced to Chaska. Sending a prime breeding female to him was something of a Hail Mary - but it worked and a cub was produced.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they exchange a few bears with the EAZA as well.
We also have to keep our eyes on Queens as well!
Queens Zoo’s 1.1 cubs have made their debut. Bouba and Nicole are their parents.
When were they born. Are you talking about Benny and Brienne?