Trash or Treasure for Polar Bears?
Posted at 2:52 pm October 5, 2007 by Kelly Murphy
If you haven’t seen by now, there’s been quite a stir when viewing the San Diego Zoo’s Polar Cam. Many of you have heard me share stories about the bears: what they like to eat, how well they get along, and how they love to play. Enrichment is a major part of their day. We try to minimize food enrichment, as it is often short lived and offers little variety in behavior. By offering a toy or object, we allow the bears choices as to how and if they interact with it. If you’ve visited our bears, you may have experienced some of the more “unusual” items such as burlap sacks, feathers, traffic cones, and even plastic lawn ornaments. One of their all-time favorites has always been the plastic lids to trash cans.
This may sound strange to us, but to them a trash can lid offers flexibility, resistance in the water, and tug-of-war opportunities; it sometimes even doubles as a Frisbee! All three of the bears have had the chance to interact with these lids on several occasions over the past six years. The other day, one of the bears thought it would make the toy more interesting if the center was ripped out, making it more like a doughnut. That seems fine and all, but if you recall, I have made mention before of how they like to put things on their heads. And Tatqiq, of course, IS a princess.
I received the call Wednesday afternoon that one of the bears had something stuck on its neck. Sure enough, Tatqiq had tried on the new toy and found out the hard way that it goes on easier than it comes off. I am happy to report that she is perfectly fine and seems unfazed by this event. But it does, however, prove to be one heck of a sight! Since we can’t share the same space as our bears, our only option would be to use anesthesia to put her to sleep and then safely remove it. Since she is resuming her normal lifestyle (and in my opinion, showing it off a little), I’m not really eager to do that. Through some varied attempts while she’s in the bedrooms as well as the play that continues to occur with her companions, I’m optimistic it will come off on its own.
While it’s not quite what I had planned, it does still fall under the guidelines of enrichment, especially for our guests. And just like the child who gets taken to the doctor for sticking a toy somewhere it shouldn’t be, I have to give Tatqiq an A+ for creativity.
Kelly Murphy is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Photo: Kalluk is shown above ” kissing” Chinook, with Tatqiq in the background.
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October 5th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I saw that around one of the bears necks…in fact I saw it floating in the water before it went on. I could not figure out what it was, but noticed she was still swimming and playing and feeling quite graceful with her new ” tiara” on her. Oh, bears! There is a piece of equipment for birdfeeding that is a long stick with a little clip at the end which you can control from the bottom. Is there anyway you can use something like that to slide into the cage, clip on to the newly found tiara, and slip it off? I am not sure what it is called, but it is for hanging and lowering feeders and suet feeders that are up high where you cannot reach.
When I was young I had a gerbil who did a similar thing. Instead of chewing the cardboard paper toilet roll, they turned around in it and got stuck! I had to pry the poor thing out after ripping it to the middle. After that, all toilet and paper towel roll got cut down the center so they could still crawl through and chew them, but never get stuck again, as any presssure would open it up. Hope this might trigger an idea to get it off of her without having to put her out, as I know how many risks that involves. Poor little girl. She must learn lettuce leafs on the head are more becoming!!
October 5th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
P.S.~They are called Helping Hands Reachers!
October 5th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
That is cool.
October 5th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
It really would have been wonderful to have a picture of Princess Tatqiq in her tiara to go along with this great story!! =] The picture you have is very good, though…
October 7th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Please change the cam back to the way it was! All we see now is buildings and beach, and blurry at that. Now we can’t watch the bears swim and play, anymore, and that is what I used to look at all day long. For people like me, with health problems so we are unable to travel, these type of cams give us the opportunity to see things we otherwise would miss completely. I miss watching the bears!
October 7th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Kelly, Tarqiq gets A+ for creativity. She beat her brother out this time. If she figured out how to get it on, with time she will figure out how to get it off. Do you ever get close enough to her through a squeeze cage or something similar that you can use Nelping Hands Reachers. I look forward to seeing the happy trio on the webcam soon. I keep missing them, or they are asleep on the beach.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Did Tatqiq get her ” bib” off yet? I don’t see any bears with a collar on them in the pool. However, I only see two bears, and she may not be one of them. They sure are having a great time playing in the cool clear water at 9:37 AM PDT.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
She must have cuz I can see all 3 bears playing and not a one with a collar.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Thanks for explaining who is in the picture. It is great to know that Kalluk likes Chinook enough to ” kiss” her. Maybe they will be a couple some day???