Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Columbus Zoo News - 2015

Hmm, well that would give Nanuq and Aurora another breeding season then. However I'm curious how they would share the exhibit. I assume the cub would be on her own, but it's such a big space for a cub alone.

 

Does Columbus have a nursery or maternity yard? In Toronto our hand reared cubs Hudson and Humphrey had a much smaller yard with a shallow pool where they could play and learn until they were big enough for the main yards. Worked well because that enabled the adults to stay on exhibit easily.

 

To the right of the entrance, the very first animal attraction closest to it in fact, there is an indoor, nursery like exhibit that guests can view into. I believe on my last two visits they featured fennec fox kits (same foxes). From the way I see it, and someone correct me I'm wrong but it is typically used as a "Temporary Featured Animal Station" rather than a nursery.

 

Here's your first look at the polar bear cub.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says polar bear cubs born, one survives | World | News

 

That small windowed exhibit in the front of the former (and maybe still current) education building has changed over the years - at one point, it housed golden lion tamarins, and it has housed reptile species (in the past). In recent years, when occupied, it has housed some ambassador species, but for the past two seasons, it's always been set up as a temporary nursery. I've seen the last small litter of Amur tiger cubs in there (when all but one cub were ultimately lost), red river piglets, the jackal pups, and more, and it's been recently set-up as a a very bare nursery place, with no permanent "furniture." It would be extremely small for a bear cub.

The most likely solution I could see is to use the exhibit occupied until recently by the zoo's last grizzly bear and formerly to the Alaskan brown bear brothers or the exhibit next to it, currently home to the river otters, formerly home to a black bear. These North American exhibits are slated for an upgrade soon (I would assume, given the zoo's plans to upgrade North America in the near future), but they are perfectly suitable for bears, if on the small size, and are located very near to the Polar Frontier.

 

A male bonobo named Max was recently born to mother Lady.

Zoo welcomes baby bonobo | The Columbus Dispatch

 

Update on the polar bear cub:

Zoo says two-week-old polar bear cub is responding well to human care | NBC4i.com

 

And another article about the Polar bear cub :
Polar Bear Cub Gets Helping Hand at Columbus Zoo - ZooBorns

 

From the Zoo's Facebook - White-handed gibbons Rachel and Shawnee and siamangs Rasheed and Olga need an improvement to their habitat that will ensure their favorite pastime – “brachiating”, or swinging – can continue healthily and happily.

 

Gorilla, Colo, is celebrating her 59th birthday today.

Oldest gorilla celebrates 59 years at Columbus Zoo | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | WSYX

 

Another article about Colos birthday :
Oldest of zoo gorillas turns 59 at Columbus Zoo | NBC4i.com

 

Good news story for the holiday season. A lost dog was captured by zoo staff over the holidays and they were able to reunite the recently adopted dog with her new owners.

Stray dog picks the right time to wander into zoo?s Heart of Africa exhibit | The Columbus Dispatch