Qannik demonstrates the paw to hand behavior. What a smart cub! Photo by Andrew Fore.
JoAnne was at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky to help staff with their newest arrival, an orphaned polar bear cub named Qannik. Read her previous post, Little Polar Bear Orphan.
For polar bear cubs, life is all about learning to survive in the Arctic from the moment they are born until Momma kicks them out. Momma bear has all the right stuff for teaching: intelligence, nourishment, and communication. For Qannik, communication with her keepers would be the first lesson. Luckily, Qannik is very intelligent, and, dare I say, so are keepers! Training using positive reinforcement is how we communicate with our bears.
The sloping false bottom made for Qannik's pool.
We taught Qannik to slurp her formula out of a large syringe that is easy to use from outside the mesh. Qannik is a large girl now and will soon be reaching over 400 pounds (180 kilograms), so it’s important we teach her just as we would when she is an adult polar bear. This beginning relationship is so important: we look for nice, relaxed eye-to-eye moments. Next are a few simple behaviors like shifting rooms, sitting, or presenting a paw when asked to do so.
While the Louisville Zoo keepers were flying to Alaska to pick up Qannik, one of my tasks was to build a false bottom in her new pool to help her learn how to swim. In the Arctic, Momma bear offers her back for the young cubs to hold on to until they learn to swim well. With the help of Steve Goodwin, Louisville Zoo’s all-round-can-do-it-all guy (he makes incredible pottery, too!), we built, netted, tied, and lashed a false bottom into the pool. The design allowed for sloped access into the deep end, strength enough to hold a pouncing 60-pound (27 kilograms) bear, and be easy to take apart once Qannik could swim and get out of the pool on her own.
Qannik keeps everyone in suspense as she contemplates a swim.
The day after Qannik arrived, we watched her make her first plunge into the pool. Miss Qannik knows how to hold her audience! She spent the majority of the day on the first steps holding on by her toes, stretching ever so far that we all knew she had to go in! She would turn and look at us as if to say “Gotcha!” Finally she rewarded our patience by a not-so-graceful dive into the pool after a white bucket toy.
After the first excitement we held our breaths: would she be able to get out of the pool? Well, of course—she’s a polar bear! At that moment we decided we could take the false bottom out of the pool, as it had done its job! The slope helped her with gradual ease into the pool, it was strong enough to hold her, and was easy to take apart. Did you know little polar bears are also helpful? Qannik hopped right back into the pool and began to dismantle the false bottom to the floor. Louisville Zoo keepers report she now throws all her toys into the pool and is officially a swimming maniac.
Qannik helps dismantle the pool's false bottom, as it's no longer needed.
When the time came to say goodbye to little Qannik, it was not without a lump in my throat. In just a week she had grabbed my heart for all she has been through in her short life. What a spirit—so tenacious, so tough, so intelligent, so irresistible, a connection to the wild. All polar bears are like Qannik. It’s hard to think that there will be more Qanniks to rescue and some that we won’t find.
My time with Qannik was also about the wonderful folks who all came together to rescue and care for this little bear and the great team that will be there when the next bear needs help. We can make the changes as individuals joining together into communities to collaborate on conservation to save our arctic ice and the beautiful spirited creatures that live there.
Be sure to share some time with the San Diego Zoo’s fabulous trio on Wednesday, July 13. We hear we are in for a summertime snow fall!
JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
What a beautiful story – I am so happy for our little bear. She is such a fun cubbie. I saw the videos from Alaska and was very much entertained.
I hope she grows up to be a beautiful bear.
JoAnne thanks for this blog. All that time in making the structure and it sure wasn’t need for long. I just watched a video of her and she takes flying leaps into the pool and is having so much fun. What an entertainer she is already.
I could read the love you have for her in your writing. Hopefully this is just the start of things to come for you and your staff. Your own baby early next year
Thanks very much for the account of your involvement with Qannik. It must have been quite an experience even though it is sad that young polar bears need to be rescued.
I watched this video of Qannik and I was wondering if the white floater was meant to mimic ice. She really throws herself in the pool; she is a very energetic young polar bear!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUaHVX_szsA
will she have access to a larger pool when she is older? will she get a little polar bear friend at some point as well?
JoAnne,
Thank you so much for part II of your time with Qannik. She is
bright and tenacious…a brave cubbie. Oh, how I’d have loved
to be in your place!
Yay!!!!! Any hints on the approximate time the snow will arrive, so I can play hookie from other things if need be; I’ve got my priorities! Don’t worry I’m not refering to work.
@Danielle, NY- Thank you for posting a link to the youtube video, it is wonderful!
Moderator’s note: The plan is to release the bears into the snow around 9:15 a.m.
How wonderful! She is a fast learner and has a personality of a sweetheart with a little bit of “cheeky” added for fun. She reminds me so much of Knut when he was that age. Thomas Dorflein taught him so much in a very short time. I look forward to following Quannik as she grows!!!
Oooooohhhhhh, I hope Chinook gives us one of these!!! Thank you JoAnne!
So happy to hear about Qannik’s wonderful progress. I can understand your feelings when you had to leave — doesn’t take much to get attached to these lovely creatures. I hope that while I’m at work on the 13th I can peek in to see what’s going on. When does the snowfall begin — do we know?
Thanks for the informative post!
Moderator’s note: The snow will fall in the morning; we plan to release the bears around 9:15 a.m.
Thanks, Moderator — sounds like it will be a lot of fun to watch…
How very cute, It will be fun to watch her grow up.
Lu Calif
Thank you so much for your report.
This little snowflake stole my heart right away on first sight ~ even if it was only a pic.
Greetings from Stuttgart (Germany), home of polar bears Corinna & Anton, parents of Wilbär (now Orsa, Sweden)
Eva Gregory, I, too, keep thinking of Knuti when he was that age!! Thomas was the best caretaker he could have had! Oh, how he loved that little bear…..and Knuti loved him too.
Can’t wait til little Snowflake can be presented to her fans! Between the snow day tomorrow in San Diego Zoo and following Snowflake, there’s not enough time in the day!
Oh, she is just beautiful! I can only imagine how she tugged at your heartstrings when she touches us so much and we just see images! Love that she is a swimming maniac! Good for her. She must be so happy to be well-fed and cared for, within a safe environment. She looks so small in some photos until we see her next to a human. Then she is all Polar Bear!! ♥
Whoa — hold the phone — I guess I hadn’t seen Chinook much lately — and certainly not in a semi-erect position (maybe she’s been laying down or in the water before) — but she’s got quite a tummy there!! Guess we still have a month or so until you can start doing ultrasounds on her — but I think I would bet money on a cub or two — she’s HUGE!
I hope that you are right!
Kalluk was having a blast in the snow and his sister joined him for a while. Maybe they are now off cam playing in it.
What fun to read about your involvement with Snowflake, JoAnne! I can see how it would be hard to leave her. She is absolutely adorable!
Perhaps we’ll have a little polar running around…..huh, Chinook?!
Watching the web cam and the Polar Ice is melting – come out bears
I cant find the bears just like are melting polar cap. Barbara from Phoenix
YIPPEEEEEEE!! Snow day! Kalluk & Tatqiq havin fun..Chinook….wellll…doesn’t seem too interested yet!!! Have fun my 3 little bears!!! thanks zoopeoples for the fun!!! xo
From the looks of things, I do not think that Chinook was too impressed with the snow. I guess she has other things on her mind than laying down on ice cold snow.
Kalluk seems to have enjoyed the scratching on the snow and rolling around the white stuff.
I still think a lot of cities both in Canada and the US this winter would have been great fun for the polar bears.
LOVIN IT! watching Kullack it looks like playin in the snow …. I had to take the day off today so I could watch them play! and it was sooo worth it! thank you thank you
What a great story, I must find some videos of her diving into the pool. Dear moderater do you know if you will be posting any videos of our trio enjoying the snow? Unfortunately I wasn’t able to watch the bears faces full of joy as I have started a new job, and I’m pretty sure starring at bears would be frowned upon.
Moderator’s note: We should have some video posted soon
Well Kalluk was sure enjoying his treasure finds this afternoon & scratchin’ away on the ice! I do believe my lil’ babies tuckered themselves out! Awwwwww………. (yawn)…such a good day! Sweet dreams my 3 little bears! And thanks to you zoopeoples who made it possible for us to enjoy our babies!!!
Snow day was FANTABULOUS!!!!!! and any other made up positive word
Oh yes posting some videos of the trio would be really nice. It makes me so happy to see the polar bears on the cam everyday but the snow was just something really special!!!! Thanks to everyone who made that happen 
Thank you moderator,
I look forward to the video. I was able to to enjoy some polie viewing time while on my lunch. I was greatly entertained watching one of them literally had select there favorite carrots.
Looks like they had a fun snow day yesterday, though always a pity it melts so fast. Chinook seemed far more interested in carrot piles than snow, though I did see her and Kalluk give a few kisses hello at one point before she wandered off screen to yet another pile of yummies! Tatqiq and Kalluk were playing in the snow, but twice I saw him bully her away and she ran! Seems she gave up and jumped into the pool to bond with the toys instead, while Kalluk rolled about and dug with feet and nose! He decided this snow day was all his!! I agree with Shirley! We live in New England and what a winter we had. I would love to have had polar bears tasting a real arctic snowstorm and roaming around our several acre property with a few fun slopes for sliding! However this trio probably does not have enough fat to challenge the wind chill factors of -20F or more that we get and we don’t want sick bears! Not to mention our local deer, rabbits, birds, etc., oh, and neighbours, might freak out! Hehehe…
CNN has posted the video from the polar bears’ snow day. It’s precious.
Thanks for providing this wonderful opportunity for all of us polar bear fans (it’s my favorite website!) to see our bears having fun in their Zoo-Arctic. And I always enjoy the blog posts and photos.
Moderator’s note: Why go to CNN when you can see the video here
Oh, thank you! That video is even better because it talks about how this snow adventure happened and explained more about the needs of the bears in the wild.
Thanks again to all you wonderful people at the San Diego Zoo.
Thank you to infinity and beyond for posting the link to the video! Thank you to all the generous donors and behind the scenes people who made this happen!
Please know you bring so much joy to so many of us through this cam. It is also
promoting Polar bears and the need for their habitat conservation through social networks and other non traditional media. Perhaps if more individuals (who are addicted to the Polar Cam Trio) like me were given the opportunity to donate the trio could have snow for Christmas too??? How about it my fellow PCA’s (Polar Cam Addicts)
Moderator’s note: You’re very welcome, Sherri!
On Wednesday, July 13th, we experienced early morning snow day for the polar bears. The bears and the guests had a wonderful time.
Kalluk and Tatqiq were the first bears to come out and cautiously approach the large mound of snow on the left. Kalluk opened his mouth wide and took a big bite of the snow. Shortly after, Chinook slowly approached another mound of snow on the right side of the exhibit. All three bears started rolling, digging, sliding and burying their faces in the snow to the delight of all the guests. I noticed that Tatqiq’s fur is very white compared to the brown coloration of Kalluk and Chinook.
While we were watching the bears, JoAnne Simerson explained that Kalluk’s head had a greenish tint because “he made a green cardboard box into a pillow last night”.
I spent some time talking to Joanne and her love for these bears is very apparent. She asked everyone to please remember in our daily lives the conservation effort to save the Arctic ice and thus save the polar bears.
The Polar Bear Snow Day was the center of attraction at the Zoo. Everyone had a wonderful time. It was a great start to another perfect day at the San Diego Zoo.
You can find my video of the Polar Bear Snow Day at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sdrose24#p/a/u/0/YJrYjEZ4Hfo
Thanks for sharing the video, Rose. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I could also hear keeper JoAnne’s narration and I’m so grateful for the work she’s done with these bears.
I like to think that Tatqiq is whiter than the rest because she is the true princess who knows how to keep herself looking pretty and elegant! =)
Thank you Grace for your nice comment. I agree with you, Tatqiq has a beautiful white coat and she looks pretty and elegant.
I forgot to mention in the blog that each bear has a favorite, small, colored rubber ball. These balls were purchased through the Wish List Program. The bears see color and know “this ball is mine”. Tatqiq’s ball is pink and she carries it wherever she goes. Very cute.
Maybe Tatqiq is like Bai… her coat is teflon coated and the dirt just falls off of her..
Really enjoyed your video – real upclose and personal – felt as if I was with our three beautiful bears – keep up the great photography.
Thank you for sharing Rose. This is an absolutely excellent video!
Thanks for the video Rose. How lucky you were to be able to be there…
3:27pm est, so 12:27pm Polar Bear Cam time. Who is the brilliant bear resting across the log in the water and letting the rest of their body just float to stay cool? So elegant, so relaxed, so comfy. I am jealous!
So, my 3 little bears have had a very exciting week & it looks like they are taking it all in now…..awwwwww…..rest…..lots of rest..zzzzzzzzzzzz…the videos were so much fun to watch…thx! have a good wkend my 3 little bears!!!!!! ttfn!
So enjoyed the antics early this morning!! I never realized there was much water near the waterfall, and one of the girls made it look like a giant kiddi pool as she rolled and tumbled.
Thank you for the report on Qannik! I wish we could rescue *all* of the Qanniks.
Oh, Chinook! You are getting soooo plump! lol
Thanks to all who manned the cameras during the snow day with the bears! Enjoyed the show immensely! I could watch those bears all day! TYTYTY!!
@Sherri and others: Yeah – is there a way we can donate to a special snow fund so the bears can have snow for Christmas? How much does it cost to truck the stuff in?
Snow for polar bears is not currently on our Animal Care Wish List, but as an important enrichment method it does show up on the list often. Keep checking back for when it re-appears, and in the meantime feel free to donate for our other wish list items to help enrich the lives of our other animals. http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wishlist We really appreciate your support!
Can we request that snow be added to the wish list? LOL. It’d be SOOOO worth it!
Hey, you all! I’ve got an idea on how to help the wild polar bears swim shorter distances in the Arctic waters during the spring and summer to help them navigate better and be able to hunt their food better. Build large floating platforms shaped like big icebergs with a material that will not disentegrate in salt water. I was thinking about this ever since I saw a very serious article about small polar bear cubs not able to keep up with their moms when they have to swim very long distances to find an iceberg to get on or to get to some land on the MSNBC news website. That is so sad to read about, especially when the numbers of these bears are down compared to past years due to lack of ice, global warming, habitat disentegration, other reasons. These cubs need to live, thrive, and grow up to maturity to keep these bears going strong and keep their numbers at a stable pattern. I hope that when people read this, someone will pick up on this idea and run with it! These platforms could be the saving grace for these bears if enough of them are made and spread out all over the Arctic Ocean. If people can build high nesting platforms for osprys and eagles, then we all can build iceberg platforms for the polar bears, especially for the young cubs!
Say HI to Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq! Still waiting for Chinook to show some signs of pregnancy/maternal behaviors soon!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Chari…..don’t know how feasible your idea is but it certainly sounds good! It is heartbreaking seeing the bears trying to swim long distances and even more so watching their cubs trying to keep up with them.
I’ve been enjoying the play of Kalluk and Tatqiq in the water with a new enrichment! Gourds!!! What a wonderful idea! Love the closeups, too!
I just saw a happy bear floating on its back in the pool, with something wedged between the front paws on the belly. It just makes me smile because even the bears know how happy, fun, and relaxing it is! Perhaps that’s why I keep tuning into the Polar Cam; I think I envy their lifestyle! =)
Saw Chinook looking chubby, is it my imagination, or is she getting heavier? Love to watch them in the water diving and wrestling! Thanks to the volunteers who man the cams!
Just curious about today’s enrichment. I see a bear mouthing and biting a plastic bottle. Are you ever afraid that they will actually eat the plastic and harm themselves? I mean, we are always hearing about how dangerous our pollution like bottles, cans, etc. are to not only the environment but also to the wildlife, who eat or get trapped in them. They seem to be having fun, but somehow gourds make me feel safer! Did they ever chew and eat their balls or the mini pools? Or do they always spit it out?
Moderator’s note: Every item used for enrichment purposes is approved by our Nutrition Department; the bears are only given items that are safe to chew on, including very thick plastic that can withstand those sharp teeth
Cool! I didn’t think too much could withstand those teeth and jaws! Having fun watching one now playing with the blue ball in the waterfalls! Heaven!
I’ve just been watching Chinook snarfing down carrots. She’s is looking very beautiful just now. Does the growth of fur on her belly mean anything?
i am seeing a bear rocking it’s head back and forth while it moves forward a few feet, then backwards a few feet over and over again. I have seen our polar bear in the oregon zoo do this for years. What does it mean, and why do they do it? Does that mean they are going crazy in their enclosure? It makes me sad to see that.
Moderator’s note: We can’t speak for the Oregon Zoo, but our male, Kalluk, sometimes has restless energy due to hormones. For more information, please read the post Polar Bear Dance.
Oh! Miss chub chub Chinook, pretty girl is looking so sweet & precious! She’s had all her play & is restin’ now…zzzz’s..good for her! Its been fun watching all of em playing! Thanks for the good pic’s guys n gals…Any news yet on lil missy chub-chub joanne? We be waiting patiently with bells on! Happy hump day my 3 lil’ bears! xo
Can we get an update blog on our 3 bears ? I know there are little snippets in the current blogs about Chinook, and what not, but kinda was hoping to get a full blog dedicated to her and our favorite brother and sister team. Like, what’s the latest on Chinook and her possible pregnancy ? We were getting updates before, but not so much anymore. I check every day for the latest, and to see if there has been any more ultrasounds conducted, is she possibly pregnant, or are we taking a break, so to speak ? I saw a blog a while back where someone from the team had had a dream that chinook had given birth, but that blog has since been deleted. I guess as not to give false hopes to those of us that read it, and took it the wrong way? To read through all the current replies, on the current blogs, hoping to maybe see a response from the team, is time consuming. So my question is, what is the latest with Chinook, do we have any news to report ? Would love to read an updated blog on our girl ! Not that I dont appreciate the blogs that are currently here, but it would be nice to read one current blog on Chinook and her possible pregnancy, and what the SDZ knows, to date. Thanks so much !
Moderator’s note: We’ve asked JoAnne to provide an update post for us when she has the time. And we do not delete blog posts; the post you are referring to can be found here: Polar Bear Hopes.
I appreciate Tatqiq’s attitude. She wants to be an active bear even when she is sleepy. Early in the morning I saw her yawning but going carefully into the water. She took out the big blue ball from the stash pipe while still yawning, played with it then she gnawed a piece of wood until Kalluk invited her out from the water. She immediately left the wood on the table rock and they went to the house.
Could be “stress yawns”, inviting her brother to come closer.
I like Tatqiq’s manner too. I always thing she must be very intelligent and always brings everything she has to any situation she encounters.
I’m really excited… I just received a letter from my zoo stating that I’ve been accepted in their Docent program. The 2 regions I will be trained in will be the North American/Polar Bear Region and the Shores. I’ve been following JoAnne Simerson’s blogs on the PB’s situation with the ice melting leading to starvation. And of course the coral reefs are dying because the oceans are too warm… I would like to thank JoAnne for all her blogs on what we can do to reduce our carbon footprints and I believe she inspired me to want to become a Docent so that I can share with others (especially children) on what we can do to save the not only the polar bears, but all animals… Thanks JoAnne and SDZ.. I hope I can make a small contribution in my part of the USA…
Moderator’s note: What wonderful news, Dianna! I’ll make sure JoAnne sees this comment. Thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge with others!
Just saw a bear standing on the edge of the pool with two front paws hanging above the water a few minutes ago. Then the bear made a beautiful dive into the water with its rear paws pointed (I gave it a score of 10!), and soon emerged to the surface of the water with a mauve ball. The entire diving pose and process looked like the bear was pouncing onto the ball yet with determined calculation and precision. It was elegant as well. So I am going to guess that this was Tatqiq. =)
Wait… Someone is feeding the two bears in the pool right now, and I can’t yet tell what the food or snack is. They were tossed from the rooftop, it would appear, as they dropped out of the sky and fell into the pool. They were kind of long and skinny in shape, so perhaps they are carrots?! The bears quickly made a dive for them and ate with eagerness and enthusiasm. (Agility is the word that came to my mind as I watch them today.)
Is that Kalluk hiding what looks like a sack cloth in the stash pipe?
What a beautiful closeup of one of the bears sleeping! Not sure who it is, as they are all flat and stretched out, but they are semi-snuggling their dried up palms and sound asleep! Adorable!
OH my goodness! There’s my lil’ chub-chub Chinook!!! Could she look any more precious?! Don’t think I have seen her look so glowing! She is a lil’ chunk! No word yet kids??? (awww, come on, do tell!
All 3 kids have been so stinkin’ cute this week! Absolutely loving the water! Well, have a good wk-end my 3 little bears!!! See ya all on Monday!! ta-ta! 
Dear SDZ~I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the people who were mauled in Svalborg (?), one being killed and others injured by a polar bear that was then shot. It makes me angry. As sad as I am for the loss of human life and injuries to others, the area is known to be populated by polar bears so why are people even allowed to camp there? It is like the fools who camp in Yosemite in tents and then complain that a grizzly attacked. Now we are again one less polar bear in the world. Why must humans be so incredibly stupid and thoughtless?
San Diego Zoo responds: We do not have any information on this incident.
I did not hear about that bear attack yep thats us humans wanting to get close to the wild life not right ! After all that was there home first I think some of us are getting it. Ten years ago we took our first cruise to Alaska they made several to into Glacier Bay not any more 1 ship a day someone got i guess its going be baby steps at this rate people think about it do you want your Grand kids to see this wonderful aminals in the wilds or in zoos dont take me wrong I’m so grateful to the San Diego Zoo they have made it possible for me to watch the fab three daily evey body change one thing they do daily it will make a difference! from Phoenix.
There were a bunch of teenagers camping on a glacier on the arctic circle, in Norway, in tents, in an area highly populated by polar bears. One was killed, the others injured, the polar bear killed. Here is the article or if you can’t see it you can googled Teenager or British Teenager killed by polar bear and it will come up.
dailymail (dot) co.uk/news/article-2023687/Norway-polar-bear-attack-survivor-Patrick-Flinders-left-TEETH-lodged-skull.html
Since we will not get a panda cubbie, can we hope for a polar cubbie or two!
Can you tell us how many pounds of carrots the three bears eat every day? They loooooooooooove those carrots!!
Moderator’s note: Each bear eats about 25 pounds (11 kilograms) of carrots every day.
Wonder how it was discovered that they would like them so much?
All three bears are out on the exhibit today, and I saw some actions with the red flotation device earlier. What a treat!
It is so fun to watch a bear lying on its stomach and chomping down on the carrots. The bear (Kalluk?) likes to extend its neck and raises the head high for the chewing and swallowing actions. (I am not describing it very well, I know…) It almost looks like the bear is howling!
Kalluk is the bear who eats his carrots with so much enjoyment, his nose up to the sky while swinging his head from side to side. Really funny. I wonder how it looks like when he eats meat.
Yesterday he was very cute and skilful with the enrichment items. Once he put the yellow tray together with the grey ball on top of it up to the rock. It was a difficult task and he succeeded to do it.
Thanks for the info. The part about Kalluk eating meat made me laugh!
While watching the Polar Cam yesterday, I saw Kalluk playing with the red flotation bar in the pool. At one point, he managed to toss it ashore, landing near the edge of the rock shore. Seconds later, he used his teeth and jaw to pull it back into the water, and the fun resumed. Indeed Kalluk is one very skillful athlete!
Yo, JoAnne!!! What’s the news on Chinook?
Tatqiq has a sweet angel like face when sleeping, she seems to be smiling in her dreams. At other times her face remind me of a suricate (I hope it doesn’t hurt anyone). Of course I also think she is a beautiful princesse bear.
Update on Ms. Chinook please!!
Ok so this isn’t related to the post at all but definitely to the bears. Any way we (and by “we” I mean you) can add a “postcard” feature to the cam like the one for the panda cam?
Moderator’s note: We’re working on a new feature that we will be able to apply to all cams. It will be a few months before it’s ready, though..
Well, my 3 little bears have had quite a week! And the kids tryin’ to get to the stash pipe under the waterfall! Holy schmoley! They dive & dive til’ u think they’re diggin’ for gold! Too cute!!! Have a good week-end my 3 little bears (ok, maybe ‘one’ of ‘em ain’t-a so little! aka our lil’ baby chub-chub Chinook..hehehe) but OH so precious they are! See ya on Mon! ta-ta!
Hurray! I love the cams. I have been watching for 2 years now…
Thanks!!
Pins and Needles, Pins and Needles. Please can we get an update on Chinook?
So, sometimes when you look at my 3 little bears, layin there in the sun, doesn’t it look like you could just ‘unzip’ their little fur coats to cool em off? With those big fur slippers too??? hehehe…they are so sweet…
I have been watching Kalluk on and off for a few minutes now. Whatever he is trying to get or bury between the “sitting rock” and the viewing glass, he is fiercely persistent to have his paws and mouth working on it! He made SEVERAL diving attempts, each followed by his head surfacing above water to get another breath of air. I am quite astonished at his sheer determination to get this accomplished!!!
I wish I was at the SDZ right now, watching the polars. The weather in the UK is atrocious – wet, cold and windy. August? More like November. Still, I can dream of pandas and polar bears and lovely hot sunshine.
Me too, but for different reasons. I notice that Kalluk and Tatqiq have been out together two days in a row. I have enjoyed watching them play fighting, swimming, wrestling toys away from the other, and the antics goes on. The visitors behind the glass pane must be having a field day watching the pair of them together! Full of envy here watching online…
Oh my… Chinook just walked into the view, watching Kalluk and Tatqiq play fight in the pool. What a treat to online viewers like me! Thanks SDZ volunteers for the great camera work so I can enjoy!
P.S. I wish I was at SDZ so I could hear the bears as they play!
About 15 minutes ago Tatqiq was walking then stopped and made a strange range of seemingly unvoluntary movements, similar to that when a dog tries to vomit. Did keepers see that? I hope she is not ill.
Moderator’s note: I don’t think so, but I’ll forward your concern to our Polar Team.
Thank you. In case the cam save its records it was after she stood upon hind legs against the side wall of the house then walked and then this thing happened to her what scared me so that I could not think of making a record of it as I used to when they do their cutest things. After it she went for a nap under the sculpture.
JoAnne Simerson responds: We didn’t see this action. We can tell you our girl had a fun day playing that day and even made a few attempts to entice Chinook into some water play. Miss Tatqiq has, over the past few days, been catching green “jewel” beetles. She doesn’t eat them but plays with them by rolling them around in her mouth and then spitting them out. Unfortunately for the beetles, they don’t survive polar bear play. Perhaps this is what you saw. We’ll keep an extra watch, though, just in case!
Thank you very much for the explanation, after it I am sure I saw Miss Tatqiq playing with those beetles. I never thought she has a passion for this activity and without seeing the beetles her movements looked very strange. I am happy she and the other two are healthy. I also saw the enticement toward Chinook, they were cute.
Happy friday my 3 little bears (& zoo people too
! Lil’ Miss chub-chub Chinook is at her door sayin ‘lemmeee innnn weeewwwwwww’! lol I think she misses her friends or give me a really good treat! Well, have a good week-end kids… (maybe joanne will fill us in on an update pretty soon, what cha’ think joanne? maybe? pretty please???) ta-ta for now! 
I could just sit and watch these bears all day long. Even when they’re napping! Today was most amusing. Kalluk was having a great time with a rag in the plunge. He would whip it from one end to the other and dive in after it. He was having great fun especially tossing it at the viewers window. At one point he did look so funny cuz he came up with the rag on his head. Funny to see Mr. Kalluck in a babushka!! Thank you again for the great camera work.
Dothey know if chinook is pregnant yet ?
Moderator’s note: The Polar Bear Team will begin ultrasounds soon to determine just that.
Im guessing Chinook is with cub(s), SDZ is gonna keep it secret till the last minute, and that’s why we havent gotten update blogs on our favorite mom to be ??
Moderator’s note: We hope to have a new blog from our Polar Bear Team very soon.
Yayy… Can’t wait for an update !
Is that you Chinook all laid out with carrots all over your fur? You seem to be so relaxed – good for you miss cuddles.
Oh I love watch the polar bears snoozing — sweet, sweet faces — looking so content.
An intermittent viewing of Polar Cam this afternoon produces a story somewhat looking like this:
Sibling Fight during Playtime
–Tatqiq takes a dip underneath the waterfall while Kalluk lies flat on his belly nearby, looking longingly and waiting patiently for her to finish.
–Tatqiq finally finishes her “shower” and gets out of the pool. Kalluk notices this, and raises his head, waiting.
–Call of nature from Tatqiq. She decides that the little pool underneath the waterfall is a good place, thus contaminating the waterfall.
–Kalluk appears to be upset by the unsanitary ruination of his play area and launches a chase after Tatqiq
–Tatqiq escapes and takes a plunge into the big pool. Kalluk follows suit.
–A brawl between siblings takes place in the water.
–Tatqiq briefly gets out of water, walks to Kalluk’s carrot pile and grabs one. She then walks over to the plunge and drops it near the “stash pipe” in the water.
–Kalluk gets angry that one of his favorite carrot sticks is taken hostage, and jumps into the water after Tatqiq. Another fight ensues.
–After a couple of physical encounters in the water and foot chase on land, Tatqiq is now eating her carrots happily while Kalluk is playing with his blue ball.
THE END
I also saw these events you described well. Yesterday really was a very eventful day for the bears as for us watchers. And when Kalluk didn’t let Tatqiq eat the carrots she in turn didn’t let him to take hold of his bone. Land fighting was like a boxing match I loved it, I have never seen them playfighting on land until now. Tatqiq fought hard and almost succeed to push Kalluk into the water but they are in different weight classes. They were good in individual games too, Kalluk throwing and twirling his bone, Tatqiq playing with one of the new enrichment items (similar to buckets) she put her head into it and dived with it. Even Chinook showed some interest in this toy, she went to Kalluk greeting him and she drew his toy to herself to take a closer look. Recently she seems to pay more attention to Kalluk.
Too bad I did not witness the boxing matches on land yesterday. Both Tatqiq and Kalluk were evidently in a very playful mood, and we the viewers reap the benefit of watching them playing with fun and glee. While Tatqiq will probably never match Kalluk in weight and physical strength, she often wins in play-fights by outwitting her brother! Very cunning, I say! I am so ever grateful that SDZ wisely keeps the sibling pair together. They are inseparable and just so much fun to watch.
I am glad to see that Chinook is starting to join them in fun. Hopefully we will have some good news from her later this fall.
I mean the “boxing match” happened later than the events Grace’s story about.
Kalluk vs Tatqiq match:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-W525Iqqc
Thanks for sharing this! It is fabulously fun to watch!
What a wonderful view right now. One of the bears is pawing at an old log, breaking apart some of the bark. It reminds me of a bear looking for honey in a honey tree…like Winnie the Pooh!
Thanks Drena for sharing this fun video. I haven’t seen Kalluk and Tatqiq sparring like that in quite a while. Lots of fun.
O my Gosh! That baby Polar Bear is So Cute! I watch them almost everyday on the live Polar Bear Cam.