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An orphaned polar bear found wandering in Alaska’s remote Prudhoe Bay area has been given a new lease on life after being rehomed at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.
Polar bear cubs usually stay with their mothers for up to two and a half years, but this one seemed to have been orphaned and wasn’t learning any survival skills.
Biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service were informed of the cute pup’s whereabouts and headed there to assess the situation for themselves.
After consulting with the Alaska Zoo veterinarian, the team made the difficult decision to remove the male bear, believed to be between 10 and 11 months old, from the wild population.
Although it’s not unusual for polar bears to be orphaned, as mother bears die or are separated from their cubs, it’s rare for humans to find offspring.
A polar bear cub was seen alone in the Prudhoe Bay area of Alaska. A team of biologists made the decision to capture the 10- to 11-month-old male bear that was brought to the Alaska Zoo.
The zoo says the bear appears to be in good condition, and judging by recent video footage, it appears to be making the most of its new home by rolling around in the snow and ice.
“It’s great to see that it’s already playing,” said Amy Cutting, vice president of conservation for Polar Bears International, a nonprofit organization Anchorage Daily News. “That’s sending a big signal that it’s thriving.”
The decision was made to take the animal into captivity because it seemed comfortable with humans, raising concerns about possible human-bear conflict.
Once the bear was captured and found to be stable after a physical and visual examination, it was transported to the Anchorage Zoo, which has the facilities and expertise to care for the bear’s immediate needs.
The zoo says the bear weighs just under 103 pounds. He also has a few small cuts on his upper lip.
At this time, the cub will not be on public display at the Alaska Zoo, but the Fish and Wildlife Service will make a decision in due course whether to allow the public to come and see the newcomer.
“The decision to remove this bear from the wild was not made lightly,” said David Agustina, leader of the Service’s Polar Bear Program. “Eliminating a bear is not a good outcome for the individual or the wild population, but we felt it was the best course of action in this situation.”
The pup is in good condition, but is slightly underweight. However, video footage shows the pup is doing well in his new home.
The bear will not be returned to the wild anytime soon because it is too young.
“Our main concern is the well-being of the cub,” explained Patrick Lampi, executive director of the Alaska Zoo.
It has been observed eating a fox, and the lacerations on its upper lip are likely from that activity. Since foxes in the Prudhoe Bay area often have rabies, we have special extended quarantine procedures in place for this pup.”
Fox is not a great diet for polar bears who normally need a high fat diet like seal meat.
As for the future, the Fish and Wildlife Service says that all options are still on the table regarding bears’ long-term options.
Due to the bear’s behavior towards humans and its young age, it will not be returned to the wild.
Although the first option for polar bears is to stay in the wild, “we believe that modern zoos provide a high quality of life for bears,” Cutting explained.
The last time the Wildlife Service removed a polar bear from the wild was in 2013. In the image, the bear appears to be settling into its new home at the Alaska Zoo.
Polar bears were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 2008 due to loss of sea ice habitat.
It is rare that the Fish and Wildlife Service decides to remove a polar bear from the wild population. The last time this happened was in 2013, when a male cub named Kali was orphaned at Point Lay.
Kali was initially cared for at the Alaska Zoo and was later permanently placed at the Saint Louis Zoo.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has been responsible for managing polar bear populations in the United States since 1972 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and under the Endangered Species Act since 2008, when polar bears were listed as threatened species due to the loss of its sea. ice habitat.
The bear is not yet on public display, but for now its future, at least in the short term, is secure.