Polar bears getting used to new home

Friday, April 2, 2010 1:17 PM
By JENNIFER NOBLIT
ThisWeek Staff Writer


Polar bears getting used to new home


The recent warmer temperatures haven't prevented two polar bears from getting acclimated to their new home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Although not open to the public until May 6, the zoo gave the media a sneak peek Friday at its newest exhibit that brings polar bears back to Columbus.

Polar bears Aurora and Anana, who arrived at the zoo Feb. 19, were moved into the exhibit Wednesday, said Patty Peters, associate zoo director for community relations.

On Friday, the 3-year-old twin sisters swam around one of the pools of the 1.32-acre, $20-million habitat they now call home.

Once open, visitors will be able to watch the polar bears swim in the pools from above, at eye level and from below. The pools will be kept at 52 degrees year-round, said Alicia Shelley, zookeeper in the North America and Polar Frontier exhibits.

A smell port and a food chute are located near one of the viewing areas, which are protected by glass. Peters said the zookeepers can give the bears treats and other food through the food chute while the smell port allows the bears to feel like they're in the wild, where they hunt for seals by sniffing for them through holes in the ice.

"It's something to shake things up," Peters said.

Two brown bears also will be featured in the Polar Frontier; they were moved from the North America exhibit to a new 1-acre yard.

According to Shelley, the new habitat for the brown bears, Brutus and Buckeye, will give them a place to swim year-round. Previously, the zoo had to drain their pool in the winter.

"The brown bears will be very happy to have a pool year-round," she said, adding that the bears would try using their water bowls as a pool in the winter.

An arctic fox also will live in the Polar Frontier.

The newest expansion to the zoo includes what was formerly Powell's New Hope Church. The zoo has adapted a former church building to house an indoor area called the Battelle Ice Bear Outpost for visitors to play and learn.

Terri Kepes, associate zoo director of planning and design, said the area is designed to look like an old mining camp turned into a facility for eco-tourists. There will be several areas for children to learn about the arctic and conservation in the form of games and photos, she said.

The Polar Frontier also will feature a playground and a replica of a tundra buggy that's used to transport tourists to see polar bears in the arctic.


Source: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/dublin/stories/2010/03/31/Columbus-Zoo-Polar-Frontier.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104

Polar Frontier Exhibit

Columbus Dispatch has an awesome slideshow of the Polar Bears at the Columbus Zoo

Here is one of the photos from their slideshow:



http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/daily_slideshows/2010/04/polarbears/index.html

Polar Bears swimming

Here is a video I made of the Polar Bears at the Memphis Zoo in March 2009

Memphis Zoo polar bear heading to Denver Zoo

This photo was taken by me at the Memphis Zoo in March 2009

March 27, 2010

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Cranbeary, one of the Memphis Zoo's famous polar bears, is heading West.

She will return to the Denver Zoo next Thursday.

Cranbeary has been a Memphis Zoo resident since the opening of the Northwest Passage exhibit in early 2006.

"She's a 9-year-old polar bear, which is really a prime breeding age," Matt Thompson, Curator of Mammals with the Memphis Zoo said. "She's going to the Denver Zoo. They actually have ownership of her and they're in a situation where they're soon going to be down to one polar bear and they want to bring her there so she can hopefully have babies one day."

Even though Cranbeary is leaving, there will still be polar bears at the Memphis Zoo. Payton and Haley will still be on exhibit for Zoo visitors to enjoy.

Source:
http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=12215503

Cranbeary returns to Denver Zoo

This photo was taken by me at the Memphis Zoo in March 2009



Memphis Zoo
March 27, 2010

Zoo staff is very sad to announce that we are saying goodbye to one of our beloved polar bears, Cranbeary, who will return to the Denver Zoo next Thursday. Cranbeary has been a Memphis Zoo resident since the opening of the Northwest Passage exhibit in early 2006. Cranbeary will leave April 1 to take her place as mate of the Denver Zoo’s male polar bear.

Her departure will leave a void in the hearts of visitors and keepers alike. “When Cranbeary came to the Memphis Zoo, her easy-going, fun-loving ‘personality’ was immediately apparent,” said Emily Smith, Team Leader of Northwest Passage. “In fact, she was voted most popular animal at the Zoo a few years ago."

Polar bears are the largest land carnivore on Earth. Females usually weigh about 500 pounds, and males generally grow two to three times that size. It is estimated between 22,000 and 25,000 polar bears are in the wild, though exact numbers are not known in their Arctic habitat of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway.

Even though Cranbeary is leaving, there will still be polar bears at the Memphis Zoo. “Payton” and “Haley” will still be on exhibit for Zoo visitors to enjoy.

About Cranbeary

Cranbeary is a 600-pound, 8-year old originally from the Denver Zoo. She has two metal plates and 26 screws in her leg from surgery that was completed in February 2007. Surgeons from the Campbell Clinic and Zoo veterinarians had to set Cranbeary’s leg after she broke it after a fall in her exhibit. She received well over 500 get-well letters and cards, which demonstrates her popularity with Zoo visitors.

Source:
http://www.memphiszoo.org/default.aspx?p=15275&beid=108991

Polar Bears arrive at Columbus Zoo

February 19, 2010

POWELL, Ohio — Twin polar bears, Aurora and Anana, arrived Friday at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The pair were the first residents of the zoo's new Polar Frontier, which is scheduled to open this spring, 10TV News reported.

The young bears were accompanied by animal care staff during their trip from the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, where they have lived since December 2008.

The bears were born at the Toledo Zoo in November 2006.

It has been 20 years since polar bears were featured at the zoo, Executive Director Dale Schmidt said.

The new $20-million exhibit will feature animals that live in some of the coldest climates in the world, the zoo said.

Watch 10TV News HD and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.