Auckland Zoo Polar Bears
- Thread starter Sam
- Start date
I remember the polar bears well when I visited the Zoo 40 years ago.
the zoo always had trouble keeping them healthy. There were a number of cubs born at the Zoo, but I think only one survived into adulthood. One was tragically drowned and it's stuffed body was on display next to the bear pits for many years.
Eventually the last polar bears died of old age, and it was decided not to replace them, although the Zoo had been offered new ones.
the zoo always had trouble keeping them healthy. There were a number of cubs born at the Zoo, but I think only one survived into adulthood. One was tragically drowned and it's stuffed body was on display next to the bear pits for many years.
Eventually the last polar bears died of old age, and it was decided not to replace them, although the Zoo had been offered new ones.
there's a photo of Auckland's last two polar bears here polar bears, Auckland Zoo - ZooChat Gallery
NZ Jeremy
Well-Known Member
Are you sure..? I'm think those exhibits were there before the Polar Bear exhibit was filled in and the old polar bear area is now the Children's party area..?
Those exhibits and the one that now contains the meerkats, together with the childrens party huts was almost all bears - black, brown and polar. The leveled area that is now the children's party area was the polar bear enclosure with the other adjacent ones being holding enclosures to allow the main pool to the cleaned etc... Directly behind the children's party area, the original polar bear holding and denning area is still there.
NZ Jeremy
Well-Known Member
Yeah I saw that rear area when doing the African encounter (or whatever its called)... I thought due to those dens being there the other two adjacent ones were used for "regular" bears...
I'm pretty sure where the meerkat enclosure is, used to have held bears (at least from old maps it was, I was only 8 or 9 when the current meerkat enclosure opened)...
I'm pretty sure where the meerkat enclosure is, used to have held bears (at least from old maps it was, I was only 8 or 9 when the current meerkat enclosure opened)...
Just had a look at a circa 1924 map and the meerkats used to be black bears, and as you walked past the cafe you had the polar bear enclosures (the current kids area) and then the brown bears.
By circa 1954 you had the same general layout but there were also Sun Bears listed near what is now the front entrance.
Here's some general info about polar bears at the Zoo:
Intended to be the main attraction - enclosure built in 1923
2 wild caught bears arrived in November 1923 & 4 wild caught bears arrived in January 1925
⁃ 1 bear sold to Wellington Zoo
⁃ 1 bear died in December 1926
⁃ 1 was shot in 1927 trying to escape
⁃ around 1933/ 4 a female was sold to Adelaide Zoo
By 1936 all of the original 6 had gone
1937 - 1942 Zoo had one bear
⁃ died and was replaced by animal from Taronga
1949 - 2 males and 1 female imported from Norway
⁃ June 1957 twins born - one dies soon after birth, the other [Piwi] drowns at 11 weeks
March 1962, Natuk put down
December 1962, Natasha died
February 1963, Brunus dies
Natasha's cub Chimo survived
1962 - Ingrid arrives from Taraonga
Chimo died in 1989
Lisbeth died in 1990
Joachim died in 1995
Ingrid died in 1995
That was my original assumption, but when I read through TbtT (admitedly on a skim through the section that talks most about Polar Bears) I was only able to identify these few. Even more extensive research prior to our recent Historic Tours failed to reveal the assumed spates of deaths due from disease amongst the ursids. Thats not to say that the mortality rate during the Zoo's early years was anything to write home about - especially amongst avian and hoof stock.
I agree that the Polar Bear enclosure(s) gave a lot of trouble to the staff and that these issues were perhaps reflective of the husbandry practices of the time, the lack of understanding about how to keep ursids well in captivity and a lack of resources. I would imagine that Auckland's Polar Bear issues were not limited to us and that most zoos do (and in some cases probably still do) have issues with persistent systemic diseases amongst their collections. Once a pathogen takes hold in an enclosure it can be very difficult to eradicate it - short of demolishing the enclosure and starting again from scratch.
More modern enclosures tend to be less prone to these problems as their design includes more thought around husbandry issues, hygeine and are not just designed with the needs of the viewing public in mind. The ends of the days of concrete pits for ursids and the rise of the immersive enclosure is a huge step forward in terms of husbandry as well as visitor experiences. Of cause a heavily planted enclosure can present its only problems in terms of substrate born pathogens but preventative and remedial action is more effective - replacing the substratee or plantings is easier that demolishing an infected concrete pit enclosure.
Our current husbandry standards are amongst the best in the industry and our mortality rates are well below the expected norms for a zoo of Auckland's size and collection.
I agree that the Polar Bear enclosure(s) gave a lot of trouble to the staff and that these issues were perhaps reflective of the husbandry practices of the time, the lack of understanding about how to keep ursids well in captivity and a lack of resources. I would imagine that Auckland's Polar Bear issues were not limited to us and that most zoos do (and in some cases probably still do) have issues with persistent systemic diseases amongst their collections. Once a pathogen takes hold in an enclosure it can be very difficult to eradicate it - short of demolishing the enclosure and starting again from scratch.
More modern enclosures tend to be less prone to these problems as their design includes more thought around husbandry issues, hygeine and are not just designed with the needs of the viewing public in mind. The ends of the days of concrete pits for ursids and the rise of the immersive enclosure is a huge step forward in terms of husbandry as well as visitor experiences. Of cause a heavily planted enclosure can present its only problems in terms of substrate born pathogens but preventative and remedial action is more effective - replacing the substratee or plantings is easier that demolishing an infected concrete pit enclosure.
Our current husbandry standards are amongst the best in the industry and our mortality rates are well below the expected norms for a zoo of Auckland's size and collection.
Just looking into some history of the polar bears…
As we all know, Joachim and Lisbeth arrived in 1964 via the Copenhagen Zoo. They were born 1962 in the wild and were caught as cubs after being found searching for food near a whaling station in Norway. I’d always assumed they were siblings as they were found together as cubs, however I’ve since learned Auckland Zoo has no record of them being siblings and they were considered unrelated. Perhaps there was evidence to suggest they were unrelated. From a young age, male cubs are larger than female cubs so if they were the same size, this would suggest the female, Lisbeth, was at least a couple of months older. There birthdate of 1962 is of course as accurate as they can be, there is no day or month known unlike captive individuals like Chimo and Ingrid. Joachim and Lisbeth had several cubs together, none of which survived.
When Joachim and Lisbeth arrived in 1964, there was just one other polar bear at the zoo, Chimo, who was born at the zoo in 1960. I’m curious as to how they were housed as Chimo was clearly not housed with Joachim and Lisbeth. We know this because adult males will fight if they have not grown up together, so Chimo and Joachim would never have been housed together, and Joachim was the sire of all of Lisbeth’s cubs. Since DNA testing was not commonplace back then, this conclusion must have been made on their housing arrangements i.e. Chimo and Lisbeth were never housed together. This makes me wonder if Chimo was housed outback in the dens while Joachim and Lisbeth were on exhibit and vice versa or if the second holding exhibit (mentioned above as still being in use today) was utilised full time in conjunction to the main polar bear exhibit, now filled in and the site of the children’s party area.
In the book ‘Tiger by the Tail’ by director, Derek Wood, it states that Chimo died in 1989, 4 years after Ingrid (born 1962) arrived in 1984. This is incorrect, Chimo died in 1979 so never met Ingrid. It appears he lived a solitary life following the death of his mother Natasha in 1962, something which possibly never bothered him, being a mostly solitary species. Ingrid was 22 years old when she arrived at Auckland Zoo and was introduced to Joachim and Lisbeth. Ingrid was by now, post reproductive and never bred with Joachim. Lisbeth had not produced cubs since 1982 and had no further offspring.
In 1987, Auckland Zoo was offered a pair of polar bear cubs by the Canadian Commonwealth Games Association which they decided to decline. It was this decision that ultimately led to the phase out of the species as the zoo was left with the three elderly bears, who had all passed away by the end of 1995. Had this offer been accepted, I’m sure it would have led to an upgrade of the existing enclosure or the construction of a new enclosure in the late 1980s which only now would be due for another upgrade. The cubs would now be nearing the end of their average 30-35 year lifespan, but may have bred with each other (if an unrelated male/female pair) or with Joachim (if a female pair) which may have sustained the population of this species at Auckland Zoo well in the first half of this century. Several zoos in hot climates like Sea World on the Gold Coast and Singapore Zoo hold polar bears in temperature controlled exhibits, a vast improvement on the open air exhibit in Auckland, which was built in the 1920s.
Videos:
Photos:
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/images/photos/g75f/741-9240.jpg
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/images/photos/acc35f/35_R00168_mm.jpg
As we all know, Joachim and Lisbeth arrived in 1964 via the Copenhagen Zoo. They were born 1962 in the wild and were caught as cubs after being found searching for food near a whaling station in Norway. I’d always assumed they were siblings as they were found together as cubs, however I’ve since learned Auckland Zoo has no record of them being siblings and they were considered unrelated. Perhaps there was evidence to suggest they were unrelated. From a young age, male cubs are larger than female cubs so if they were the same size, this would suggest the female, Lisbeth, was at least a couple of months older. There birthdate of 1962 is of course as accurate as they can be, there is no day or month known unlike captive individuals like Chimo and Ingrid. Joachim and Lisbeth had several cubs together, none of which survived.
When Joachim and Lisbeth arrived in 1964, there was just one other polar bear at the zoo, Chimo, who was born at the zoo in 1960. I’m curious as to how they were housed as Chimo was clearly not housed with Joachim and Lisbeth. We know this because adult males will fight if they have not grown up together, so Chimo and Joachim would never have been housed together, and Joachim was the sire of all of Lisbeth’s cubs. Since DNA testing was not commonplace back then, this conclusion must have been made on their housing arrangements i.e. Chimo and Lisbeth were never housed together. This makes me wonder if Chimo was housed outback in the dens while Joachim and Lisbeth were on exhibit and vice versa or if the second holding exhibit (mentioned above as still being in use today) was utilised full time in conjunction to the main polar bear exhibit, now filled in and the site of the children’s party area.
In the book ‘Tiger by the Tail’ by director, Derek Wood, it states that Chimo died in 1989, 4 years after Ingrid (born 1962) arrived in 1984. This is incorrect, Chimo died in 1979 so never met Ingrid. It appears he lived a solitary life following the death of his mother Natasha in 1962, something which possibly never bothered him, being a mostly solitary species. Ingrid was 22 years old when she arrived at Auckland Zoo and was introduced to Joachim and Lisbeth. Ingrid was by now, post reproductive and never bred with Joachim. Lisbeth had not produced cubs since 1982 and had no further offspring.
In 1987, Auckland Zoo was offered a pair of polar bear cubs by the Canadian Commonwealth Games Association which they decided to decline. It was this decision that ultimately led to the phase out of the species as the zoo was left with the three elderly bears, who had all passed away by the end of 1995. Had this offer been accepted, I’m sure it would have led to an upgrade of the existing enclosure or the construction of a new enclosure in the late 1980s which only now would be due for another upgrade. The cubs would now be nearing the end of their average 30-35 year lifespan, but may have bred with each other (if an unrelated male/female pair) or with Joachim (if a female pair) which may have sustained the population of this species at Auckland Zoo well in the first half of this century. Several zoos in hot climates like Sea World on the Gold Coast and Singapore Zoo hold polar bears in temperature controlled exhibits, a vast improvement on the open air exhibit in Auckland, which was built in the 1920s.
Videos:
Photos:
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/images/photos/g75f/741-9240.jpg
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/images/photos/acc35f/35_R00168_mm.jpg
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