Page 8 - Gateways_2017_Summer

News Bites continued

POLAR BEAR

JUST New Bear Pair

ARRIVED Polar bears are perhaps the most iconic

ambassadors for the issue of climate change.
Rapid melting of Arctic sea ice is resulting in dramatic
habitat loss and is diminishing polar bears’ access to
prey. Pollution, disease, and other issues also threaten
their ability to thrive in the wild. Scientists predict that
without a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,
two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will be gone within
this century.

So you can imagine how happy we were to welcome
an addition to our polar bear family at Great Bear Wilderness.
On February 1, Nanuyaak—whose Inupiaq name means
“young of a bear” and who is also known as Nan—joined
Brookfield Zoo on loan from Toledo Zoo, where she lived for
16 years. As an orphaned cub, she was found under a house
in Barrow, Alaska, and transferred to Point Defiance Zoo and
Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, where she was handreared.
Subsequently, she moved to Toledo Zoo and then here.

The 22-year-old female is part of an Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for polar bears. Our
goal has been to introduce Nan to our Hudson for breeding.
Following her arrival, the two were separated only by mesh so
that they could become acquainted. They were introduced at
the end of February.

AZA has recommended pairing Nan and Hudson to increase
the zoo polar bear population and to enrich genetic diversity.
Successful breeding would be cause for polarbration, so keep
your fingers crossed.

8 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES