Indianapolis Zoo becomes haven for orphaned bear cubs

Sep 06, 2008 (Hendricks County Flyer – McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) — Sep. 6–INDIANAPOLIS — Officials with the Indianapolis Zoo have announced that it has been selected as the new home for two orphaned Alaskan brown bears. The cubs, one female and one male, are littermates, about 8 months old, and weighing between 85 and 100 pounds each.

The bears, which are currently housed at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, will arrive at the zoo here sometime this month, via a FedEx flight from Anchorage.

“The zoo is delighted to be able to make a home for these cubs,” said Indianapolis Zoo President and CEO Michael Crowther. “We hope that they become ambassadors for zoo visitors to translate emotions into actions that help preserve the natural world.”

The cubs were orphaned in mid-August when Alaskan Fish and Game officials were forced to kill the cubs’ mother because she was implicated in multiple episodes involving hikers, bikers, and joggers. The adult bear was believed to be the bear that severely mauled a jogger earlier this summer.

“These bear cubs and their mother are a perfect example of the ongoing conflicts between humans and wildlife that exist around the globe,” Crowther said.

K’etnu, the male cub, and Kiak, the female cub, were turned over to the Alaska Zoo, where more than half of the animal collection consists of orphaned or injured animals. The male cub was captured immediately after the mother bear’s death but the female cub eluded officials for two weeks before she was captured in a residential area on Labor Day.

Alaska zookeepers say the cubs have adapted well to an enclosure built to hold rescued cubs while the Indianapolis Zoo puts together its plan to receive them.

Following the deaths of the Indianapolis Zoo’s two geriatric Kodiak bears, Forests Curator Lynne Villers has reached out to her professional colleagues letting them know the zoo had space available to house orphaned or rescued animals.

“Finding solutions that work for both humans and animals is not only relevant to endangered species, but to more familiar species such as brown bears,” Crowther said. “These are animals that many Hoosiers may encounter in their lifetimes and we will use this opportunity to connect a complex concept to our audience. This is both an opportunity and an obligation we feel deeply at the Indianapolis Zoo.”

The cubs will be quarantined for at least four weeks. During that time, they will undergo a variety of medical evaluations, and staff members will be able to observe the bears and help them make the transition. The new cubs will be quarantined in an area that will allow them to become accustomed to the sights and smells of their new surroundings, and then they will be moved to the holding area of the bear exhibit to continue the process of adjusting and bonding with their keepers. All interactions with the cubs will be based on making their experience with humans very positive and in building their confidence level around people, including zoo visitors.

Once the cubs are given a clean bill of health and adjust to their new setting, the zoo will release information on when the public will be able to view them. Prior to that, the former Kodiak bear exhibit will undergo renovations to accommodate the very active lifestyle of the young brown bear cubs.

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