Boris is growing before our eyes!
Boris, our young reindeer, mastered his base training and was ready to move on to a more advanced reindeer game (see Reindeer Boris: Basic Training). Since he had done well so far, we decided it would be enriching and beneficial to introduce Boris to a halter so that he could walk with his keeper.
The first time Boris felt his halter slide over his long furry muzzle and up around his ears, he stood quietly for a few seconds, probably a little puzzled. Next, he tossed his head and rubbed his face on his keeper’s shirt, maybe trying to figure out what kind of large bug had landed on his muzzle and wrapped itself around his ears. Help! After a few reassuring words, and a short, gentle introduction to this new creature called a “halter,” Boris began to relax and learn.
Boris takes Keeper Pamela for a walk.
Next, it was time to train Boris to walk calmly while on the lead. We were fortunate that Keeper Brad Wymer had some experience with training horses and was willing to help. He generously offered some pointers on halter training and tested them with Boris. After a few trial runs, Boris became calm and relaxed as he walked beside Brad and did very well with reindeer keepers Matt Price and Pamela Weber as well. Although his attention span was a little short, as long as we kept training sessions brief and positive, Boris responded well. Once again, he was proving himself to be a star pupil.
The reindeer is the only deer that can be domesticated and has been used by people in Lapland as long as 3,000 years ago. Even today, reindeer provide butter, meat, cheese, clothing, and transportation for the Lapp people. Its antlers and bones are used to make tools and utensils, and the tough sinews in its legs are used to make thread. Reindeer have been the economic basis of the Lapp culture for centuries. Because of their popularity, reindeer are raised in many areas of the world outside of their native Arctic.
Boris meets some San Diego Zoo guests. Click on all images to view in larger format.
Knowing that reindeer have been domesticated, we felt comfortable introducing Boris to a halter. That said, reindeer also deserve some healthy respect. Sharp antlers can be dangerous. Because of this, we understood that Boris’s time on a halter would be sweet but short lived. He has already grown into quite the handsome teenager, and will no doubt be an impressive adult.
Sigh….They grow so fast, don’t they? Did time speed up in December? The weeks have flown by, and the Christmas holiday season arrived quickly. It had become the season of holiday treats, Santa Claus, and, of course, reindeer. What a perfect opportunity to introduce our Zoo visitors to Boris! His first public debut was during a Sunrise Surprise Stroll. Lucky visitors got a chance to meet our handsome young reindeer and hear his amazing story firsthand. Since then, Boris has been the star of several Strolls, and if you’re lucky you may see him practicing his stride on exhibit while his reindeer family looks on.
Raising Boris has been a team effort with great results. He has been a joy to raise and rewarding to work with. At just over three months of age, Boris was weaned on December 25, 2010. Christmas Day, of course! After all, he had work to do!
Kim Weibel is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
What a handsome lad and unexpected star Boris has become !!
Hi Kim,
Too bad he can’t be entered in an obedience trial but I think the antlers would give him away that he is not of the canine family!! 
Boris is “heeling” very nicely beside Pam in the picture above…
Will Boris become an ambassador as an adult? When will the velvet start to come off his antlers? Thanks for the continued update on Mr. Cutie…
I noticed that on Polar Bear Blogs this entry is not hyperlinked properly and can only be accessed via Blogs.
Moderator’s note: Thanks for letting us know. The link has been corrected.
Thank you Kim, for keeping us up-to-date with our favourite reindeer.
What a beautiful, ‘velvet’ coated handsome young deer! He looks so behaved and is coming along nicely! Thanks for the gift!
I saw all 3 bears out today– one looked ‘skinny’compared to the other 2. Is that Chinook?
Boris is gorgeous! He must be fun to take out on the strolls and meet the people. Would he make an animal ambassador one day?
I am watching a polar bear working on a HUGE carrot pile plus some lettuce!!! My guess is that this is Kalluk. Entertaining for my human eyes to watch it eat vegetables!
Thank you for the update on Boris. He really is a handsome reindeer. It would be great for him to become an ambassador one day.
HI Everyone,
Thank you for your great comments and questions on Boris. He has grown into a very impressive young reindeer.
Dianna,
Like the females, reindeer calves or fawns usually shed their antlers in March or April. Adult males shed them at the end of the winter season, in January or Febuary.
Ian and Dianna, So far, Boris will remain on exhibit with his family, and he occasionally still goes on walks with his keepers. This may change as he gets older and larger. If you are visiting the Zoo in the near future, you may still get a chance to see him on a Sunrise Surprise Stroll.
Looks like Boris is well on the road to being a great reindeer ambassador! Got a question for you: What is that white jug like thing under Boris’s neck? Would love to know what that is so can you let me know? Will appreciate it alot! Love the pics of Boris! His antlers are getting taller, too! He’s looking good!
Let us know he he’s doing, ok? When’s his birthday? Have fun with Boris, you all!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Moderator’s note: The white “hairy thing” on Boris’ neck is his dewlap, which is a fold of skin and a common feature on male reindeer. Boris was born on September 18, 2010.
Thanks for that info, Miss Moderator! The way the dewlap was shaped in Boris’s pic, it looked like a white jug that was tied to his neck! Oh well, it’s a very nice adornment just like his good looking antlers! Take care of Boris and let us know how he’s doing.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
To all of the polar bear keepers at Polar Bear Plunge, you are not alone! I was just on the Memphis Zoo website to check out updates about Le Le, their female panda, and Haley, their female polar bear. Well, sad news from the polar bear keepers there! Haley is NOT pregnant and will not have a cub either! They have been doing full checkups on Haley during the month of December, 2010, checking her hormone levels that went down to baseline, and her overall behavior, and they have determined that Haley will not have a cub! YUK!!! They are planning on bringing Haley and their male polar bear together this spring for breeding season, and hope that they will have one or two cubs by late 2011. Sorry, don’t remember the male polar bear’s name right now! They do have a polar bear cam on their website. So, with MZ working with their polar bears, and you all at the Plunge working with Chinook and Kalluk, I am going to hope and pray very hard that both zoos will have polar bear babies by late this year! That will be alot of fun keeping us polar bear fans busy watching both of the polar bear cams seeing polar bear cubs!
Was on the SDZ polar bear cam a couple of times, saw one bear napping, and then saw another polar bear by the back door wanting something, like carrot snacks. They’ve been on the lazy side today! I did catch a couple of polar bears on the cam a few days ago in the water playing with their balls! They were funny to watch trying to drown the balls under water only to see the balls pop back out! The bears went into ball attack mode! Watching a polar bear trying to fish a ball out from under the ledge is fun to watch, too!
Well, let us know your plans about Kalluk and Chinook, ok? Hoping for a successful breeding season with those 2 bears!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
One of the polar bears seems to have rubbed all his/her fur off on its back. I hope that the bear is OK.
Moderator’s note: The Polar Team assures me that all three bears are fine, with no bare spots.
The two siblings are horsing around the pool – I guess no one is going to tell them that they should not do that. One of the bears was eating but the other bothered it until it decided to get into the action. They are a pleasure to watch while eating my lunch.
go to it bears.
Love those bears. The male is quite agile with the ball. Fun to watch when he tosses it at the viewing window. The Lakers could use him! It really is entertaining to watch them wrestle and play push-away in the plunge. The camera hasn’t been working the last few days. Hope they get it fixed.
Moderator’s note: We are working to resolve the problem. Thanks for your patience.
camera still not working? (sigh) need a bear fix! hope it’s fixed soon.
Moderator’s note: It seems to be working at the moment. What problem are you having?
well now i can see the bears way way off in the distance behind a fence not anywhere new the plunge
behinds some bushes
actually cam looks like its working fine .. bears have been moved to a different part of the exhibit?
Moderator’s note: Yes, they are enjoying time in “Polar Bear Park.”
ut oh the pool has been drained
hope there is no huge problem.
Moderator’s note: This is for pool cleaning and exhibit maintenance. The bears have access to the upper grass yard behind the main exhibit, so they may be seen from afar.
How’s Boris doing we haven’t heard anything lately ….
Update from Bob Cisneros, Animal Care Supervisor: Boris remains with the herd at Polar Bear Plunge and is doing well. He is walked down Odyssey Road on Saturdays and Sundays, so you might see him out and about. This year his rack came in with an extra point; last year’s rack looked like the number 11…no points or other distinguishing marks…just two straight points growing from his head.
Can we get a new photo of Boris and his 2011 rack?
Moderator’s note: Boris is indeed looking very handsome these days as he enters his first rut. We’ll send our photographer over to snap some photos!