Behind the Scenes: Toledo Zoo Polar Bear Transport!

Polar bears are incredibly endangered and sea ice is going away and their habitat is going away and there are things we can do within our lifetime to help prevent that or even slow that process and these bears play a very pivotal role in educating the public about that. We bring a lot of people in the Toledo Zoo and while they're here they're able to learn about the bears and learn about the plight in the wild. We have a responsibility within the AZA community to to tell this story and to educate people and we want to collaborate and make sure we're we're making the best decisions on which bears are paired for the best genetics in order to bolster the genetic population within the community that we have. So we just had a really incredible amount of animal moves within the span of two days. We moved our two young polar bears Kalik and Kaloo from Toledo Zoo down to St. Louis Zoo and then the following day we moved an adult male polar bear Kali from St. Louis Zoo to Toledo Zoo who's going to be paired with our female polar bear Crystal. The polar bear cubs were at two years old reaching the time where mom would actually start pushing them away and actually wanting to start looking for a potential mate and we started to see some of that behavior from her so it was actually perfect timing for us to start separation training from mom. We also had to make sure we could separate the boys on the day of the transport so that they could be separated for their immobilizations. We wanted to make sure we did a full health exam on them they needed vaccinations and things of that nature for the move anyway so it worked out that we coordinated this so they could be immobilized right before the the actual transport to St. Louis so it works out really well. We did anesthesias on both of them at the same time with a veterinarian monitoring each one very closely and then I did the exams on the two of them. The exams include collecting blood to check their internal health, doing a physical exam to make sure they're healthy and have no problems, gave them their vaccinations, gave them a lot of what we call supportive care medications which are things to help them not only recover from anesthesia but reduce the stress on them for the transport. Things like fluids, lots of vitamins and we also gave them something for nausea so they wouldn't get car sick. Never ceases to amaze me all the parts and pieces that work like clockwork when we are doing moves like this. I couldn't have been happier with the way the bears loaded up and how we were able to get them into the trucks sort of very quickly and efficiently. We work really closely with our maintenance staff who has a great ability with large equipment, strapped them down and then we were ready to move. Some of the things as animal managers have to make sure we have in place is all the things to keep the bear safe, healthy and happy on the trip so things like food, ice and water that we could give the animals during the trips and during our stops. We stop about every two hours to check on the animals and at each stop we offer food, water, some ice to chew on or to put them down. We have lots of ways to monitor the cab that the bears are actually transported in. Things like temperature, air quality, all those things are being monitored. Just try and take all the guesswork out of the trip and if there was an issue we can make sure to address those issues. A trip like this with big animals like polar bears is always a big deal. There's always lots of things to be aware of, to plan for, to be concerned with. We had two veterinarians with a whole bunch of medical equipment. We did not need to use anything we brought which is how we like it. Everybody did very well and in between time we did not see any evidence that they were getting stressed or upset. They were very good bears. We arrived just after dark in St. Louis. They were very ready for us. Just as our load went really well, the unloading of the crates went very smoothly. The bears left their crates and into the new holdings because they wanted to check things out and all the smells. We were very happy with it. We stuck around for a while just to make sure that the bears looked comfortable before we even left for the night. So we had sent a crate that would be used for the transport ahead of schedule to St. Louis Zoo that they could actually use at St. Louis to go into the crate voluntarily. Toledo Zoo staff was on standby waiting to hear the word that he had gone in for the training and sure enough bright and early that morning I got a text from the staff that they had got him in and we were rolling out the door. When we went to pick up Kali there were lots of tears on both sides. We had to leave our baby bears and we had to pick up their zoo icon Kali who'd been there since the opening of their polar bear exhibit. It's a very big investment in time and emotion. On both sides this was a very big project. Everyone knows how very important this was which is why we could come together and make this happen as a combined team of two zoos. It's a similar process coming the other direction just like we did for the boys. We stopped every two hours to check on Kali. He seemed to be handling the ride really well and we had his keeper there with us who was able to talk to him and check on him along with our keeper that had been there working with him. We arrived at Toledo almost at the same time that we arrived in St. Louis the day prior and it was a very similar situation. We were greeted by our staff and met with maintenance and other personnel to help us unload. We got that crate put in place. We opened the doors and I think he was out of there almost immediately. We had his keeper staff that traveled with him there to greet him inside our holding area and he came right out to say hi to her and then he was he was ready to tuck her in for the night I think. All of us were ready for our beds at that point. So now that the transport's over our job just changes. It doesn't really stop. The vet team will continue to monitor how he's doing. We'll monitor and learn from their keeper about his medical training because he is trained for several medical procedures. He's already settling in amazingly well. He acts as if he's been here his whole life. It's just it's another day for him which is great. That's what we want. He's eating great. He has been able to hear and smell Crystal and vice versa. Now with Crystal she gets an exam every year. We do that so we can assure that she's healthy enough to go on and reproduce another set of cubs. We do not want to put her at risk. She came out with flying colors at her last exam. Everything is working great. She's in great condition. Polar bears in general they are designed to breed throughout their lifetime. So we are doing everything we can to ensure that these animals not only have a good life and excellent health we want to meet the So this is a very important pairing within the AZA community. Kully has never bred before and he was a wild rescued bear so his genetics are incredibly valuable. All of this happens at the pace of the female bear. We want Crystal to feel absolutely comfortable with the male and actually show us that she wants to be with the male. This breeding season could go by with Crystal never actually showing those signs which would just mean we actually do not do an intro which is fine. We're okay with that. That's part of the process. We really want to make sure she's comfortable and that she shows interest and within that window if we're seeing all the right behaviors then we'll move forward. Overall I can't be happier with how well this transport went. The collaboration with St. Louis Zoo was phenomenal and the animals are transitioning at both facilities really really well. When people get to come out and meet Kully he's an amazing animal and I can't wait for everyone to see him so just stay tuned and watch social media and be ready to come out and welcome him.