North American Polar Bear Population

Bo (born December 2018) is being transferred from the Toledo Zoo to the Henry Vilas Zoo:

Toledo Zoo's youngest polar bear moving to Wisconsin soon

 

So which females have a chance at having cubs this year?

 

Anana has been denning for at least a month at Columbus. When I did a BTS tour at the beginning of November, we walked past the back area for the bears and there are large signs saying "bear denning" and instructing people to be quiet.

 

Lee (20 year old male) was transferred from the Columbus Zoo to the Louisville Zoo:

Lee - Polar bear at The Louisville Zoo

 

Hm, very interesting news! Hopefully this means their female, 9 year old wild born Qannik, has been allowed to breed now.

 

No, being a wild captive bear she is still not allowed to breed. Lee is to be a companion for her during nonbreeding months. However, since he's technically been at the zoo since the end of August, part of me wonders if introductions between them didn't go well and they decided they will be put on exhibit separately. But that is just my own speculation,

 

I find the non breeding policy in the Americas in the face of the status of polar bears globally something of a no brainer.

BTW: I would much rather they did that with for example domesticated camels Camelus bactrianus, (inadvertently thought of as a wild species where one can only truthfully say this of Camelus ferus , the true wild camel of Mongolia and NW China in the Gobi Desert). The latter species warrants a captive-breeding project, of which currently there is one.

 

It's a major no brainer, we are struggling to keep the species afloat in our zoos because of the legislations.

 

Legislation needs to change and it only requires amendments to the Bill.