ZooBorns

A Sneak Peek at Toledo Zoo's Twin Polar Bear Cubs

Twin Polar Bear cubs were born at the Toledo Zoo on November 21, but they’ve been behind the scenes with their mother Crystal until last week, when they stepped outdoors for a sneak peek. The cubs, who have not yet been named, are not expected to go into their exhibit until sometime in May.

The zoo staff monitors the twins by remote camera to reduce the stress on Crystal, age 13, and allow her to devote her energies to caring for her babies.  The twins’ father is Marty, the zoo’s resident male Polar Bear.

Photo Credit:  Dr. Randi Meyerson

“This is the fourth litter of Polar Bears the Zoo has had since 2006,” Dr. Randi Meyerson, curator of mammals, said. “I credit our success to high-quality animal care, the staff’s relationship with the animals, the bears’ good temperaments and an outstanding facility. When the Arctic Encounter® opened in 2000, it was a state-of-the-art facility, and it still is.” 

The Zoo’s cubs have an important future as ambassadors for a species, protected under the Endangered Species Act, which faces grave threats in their native habitat. “Human activities have a direct effect on Polar Bears,” Dr. Meyerson said, “and their plight should encourage all of us to decrease our carbon footprint.”

Polar Bears in United States zoos are managed by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Through this cooperative breeding and conservation program, zoos nationwide work together to maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations.

Jeff Sailer, the Zoo’s executive director, said, “As the number of Polar Bears in the wild decreases, it’s more important than ever that cubs in zoo settings serve as ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild. We hope these cubs inspire our visitors to join us in caring for Polar Bears and their environment.”

Related articles

Wake Up Little Lion Cub!

Meet Brevard Zoo's Newest Jaguar Cub

Introducing a Fuzzy White Snowball Baby at Buffalo Zoo!

After 12-Year Effort by Zoos, Kihansi Spray Toads Returned to the Wild

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, the Toledo Zoo, Tanzanian government, World Bank and other partners reintroduced 2,000 Kihansi spray toads into the Kihansi Gorge in Tanzania in October. This is the first example of an amphibian species that had been declared extinct in the wild being reintroduced into its native habitat.

The repatriation effort marks a major milestone for a species declared extinct in the wild in 2009. It is the result of a 12-year partnership to breed the toads in captivity while its habitat was restored. 

 

 “The WCS Bronx Zoo has been working with our partners for more than a decade to save the Kihansi spray toad with the ultimate goal of  reintroducing it back into the wild,” said Jim Breheny, Executive Vice President and General Director of WCS Zoos & Aquarium and Director of the Bronx Zoo. “The curators in the Bronx Zoo and in the Toledo Zoo – whose expertise allowed them to develop a successful husbandry and propagation program for these unique little toads – have helped to ensure the reintroduction of an important living component back into the Tanzanian ecosystem.”

Important African Elephant Baby Born at Toledo Zoo

The Toledo Zoo is proud to announce that after a 22 month gestation, on Friday, June 2, Renee, one of their two female African elephants, gave birth to a male calf. The unnamed calf was born without assistance and appears to be healthy, weighing in at approximately 200 – 225 lbs. He stood within minutes of his birth and Renee is showing excellent maternal behavior. This is 32-year-old Renee's second baby. The first, Louie, celebrated his 8th birthday not long ago.  

Renee was artificially inseminated. The successful birth of Renee’s calf is vital to the zoo elephant population for several reasons.  The population of females is aging rapidly with a large percentage exceeding the prime breeding age for the species.  Captive breeding efforts are also hampered by a lack of breeding-age bulls and bulls that are of age but show no inclination toward breeding. However, through vigorous breeding efforts, it is hoped that the African elephant zoo population will have a strong future.


Photo Credits: Toledo Zoo/Andi Norman

Have a look at this beyond-cute video of the baby testing out his legs:

Play Time for Polar Bear Baby

Meet Siku, the only Polar Bear cub in an American zoo. "Siku" means “ice” in the Inupiat language, and it was chosen for him by a fourth grader from the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The Toledo Zoo, in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, Polar Bears International and the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, sponsored a naming contest for children in that area in which they suggested names for the cub. The Zoo’s large mammal keepers chose Siku, and it’s a fitting name for an animal whose wild counterparts depend on ice shelves for hunting.

Photo Credits: Jen Lockridge

White-Naped Crane Chick Debuts in Toledo

Anita and Ivan, resident white-necked cranes at the Toledo Zoo, just gave birth to a healthy little chick. Fiercely protective of their young, the large birds can be a bit daunting to zookeepers.