Zoo hosts belated birthday bash for polar bears Dec. 26

December 24th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

The Hillsboro Argus

PORTLAND – The Oregon Zoo is treating its polar bears to a belated birthday party Dec. 26 at 10:30 a.m. Throughout 2008, the zoo has participated in Polar Bear International’s Year of the Polar Bear with activities designed to bring attention to the plight of polar bears as they continue to face shrinking habitat in the Arctic.

The Dec. 26 event is designed to help tell the story of what is happening to polar bears in the wild, while suggesting practical ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Global warming, and the resultant disappearance of Arctic ice, is the biggest threat to polar bears today.

“When zoo visitors encounter these amazing bears, we hope they connect with them in a way that inspires new insight into helping them,” said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. “People must care about an issue before they’ll be moved to act.”

The two bears, Conrad and Tasul, will celebrate their 24th birthday with ice cakes made by the zoo’s executive chef, Paul Warner.

“These two bears are special to me, because I’ve known them since they were born,” said Vecchio. “We hope we can spark an emotional connection with polar bears in our visitors too. Conrad and Tasul help tell the story of what’s happening to their relatives in the wild.”

Earlier this year, the polar bear was designated as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, a move conservationists hope will protect the bears from specific environmental hazards exacerbated by global warming. The World Conservation Union’s Species Survival Commission has recommended that the polar bear be reclassified as a vulnerable species, and has placed it on its Red List. The Red List identifies species facing a high risk of global extinction.

Vecchio explained the primary threat to polar bears in the wild is global warming. The sea ice is arriving later each season and melting sooner, which means the bears must swim farther every year to find food.

Conrad and Tasul were born Dec. 1, 1984, at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C., while Vecchio was a keeper there. The healthy brother-and-sister team arrived in Portland on Jan. 31, 1986, and was reunited with Vecchio 12 years later when he became the Oregon Zoo’s director.

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