Orphaned brown bear cub from Alaska arrives at Woodland Park Zoo

SEATTLE – On Wednesday, Woodland Park Zoo welcomed a brand new brown bear cub, an orphaned feminine discovered roaming alone on an air pressure base close to Anchorage, Alaska.

After receiving a number of stories of a lone cub, the Alaska Division of Fish and Sport (ADFG) confirmed the mother was nowhere to be discovered and the cub was too younger to outlive on her personal. The cub, who at present weighs 89 kilos, was born this previous winter and is but to be named.

“Often bears have a candy tooth, so we tried drawing her in with glazed donuts,” stated Cory Stantorf, an assistant biologist for ADFG. “Nonetheless, this cub confirmed no real interest in the donuts — she solely seemed, however wouldn’t enter. Happily, considered one of our brokers had Vienna sausages in his lunch, so we used these as an attractant as a substitute, and he or she appreciated the sausages!” 

Stantorf helped convey the orphaned cub to Alaska Zoo, who offered her with care and a short lived dwelling. In keeping with ADFG, the mother may have been hit by a car, killed by one other brown bear or killed illegally. Woodland Park Zoo provided the cub a everlasting dwelling, and he or she traveled to Seattle by Alaska Air Cargo.

Alaska Air Cargo transported the brand new cub from Anchorage to Seattle.

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The final time the zoo obtained brown bears was in 1994, when brothers Keema and Denali arrived as 10-month-old cubs from Washington State College Bear Heart. Denali handed away from outdated age in December 2020 simply weeks shy of his twenty seventh birthday, leaving Keema because the zoo’s solely grizzly bear. Male grizzly bears have a median life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and sometimes much less within the wild. 

“I’m advised this cub is sassy and a spitfire,” stated Kevin Murphy, interim senior director of Animal Administration at Woodland Park Zoo. “Her spirit will assist make her an amazing addition to our zoo household. Brown bears are an iconic species, and this new cub is an emblem of hope to revive grizzlies within the North Cascades. We look ahead to sharing our new cub with our neighborhood.”

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At her new dwelling, the cub will reside in a naturalistic setting that features a flowing stream, rocks and tree stumps, a swimming pool with reside fish and a quiet cave for winter naps.

Brown bears are typically solitary in nature however come collectively at concentrated feeding areas and through mating season. The zoo’s new cub will reside individually from Keema till she’s able to be launched to the out of doors exhibit.

“It is a very younger, curious cub who’s going to discover each nook and cranny of the exhibit — areas that Keema hasn’t ventured into in recent times because of his age and lowered mobility and exercise. We have to be ready for this decided, rambunctious bear!” stated Murphy.

Over the subsequent few weeks, the zoo’s animal keepers will assist her settle into her new dwelling by conducting behavioral coaching, introducing her to a nutritious weight loss program and getting her acquainted along with her new caretakers. 

In the meantime, the zoo’s displays group will make modifications to the bear exhibit together with baby-proofing, refreshing security boundaries and including vegetation. 

“Many years of effort and analysis make it clear that grizzlies — as soon as a vital part of the North Cascades ecosystem, the place they roamed for 1000’s of years — are actually unable to recuperate with out human help,” stated Robert Lengthy, PhD, director of Woodland Park Zoo’s Residing Northwest Conservation Program. “It’s time to convey the grizzly again to the North Cascades.”