Sugar Bears!
Posted at 3:43 pm May 20, 2009 by JoAnne SimersonLong ago my dad would take me early in the morning to the donut shop to get the freshest donuts. I remember how beautiful the donuts were when right out of the fryer the baker rolled them in granulated sugar and they just sparkled in the lights of the donut shop! Last Tuesday, May 12, we put over 100 bags of playground sand on the beach for the San Diego Zoo’s polar bears. And by Tuesday afternoon I had three beautiful “sugar donuts” sleeping on exhibit!
The bears were so excited to see and smell the sand. So after quick swims they rolled themselves in the beautiful white crystals. Both Chinook and Tatqiq kept their black noses clean, but our boy Kalluk had a sparkling nose! I think I love these “sugar donuts” even better!
Chinook
Kalluk is definitely out of his breeding daze. I’m sure you’ve seen how much more time he now spends playing and swimming. Tatqiq is ecstatic to have her play buddy back! We are still keeping a variable schedule on all three bears. You may see any combination of one, two, or three out!
I see many of you are asking about what the bears like for beds. On exhibit we have the fresh sand, mulch piles, and burlap coffee bags (which they love). Palm fronds are always a big hit whenever we can get them. In their bedrooms, we can use other items without worrying about clogging up the filtration. The bears do love Bermuda hay, pine needles, mulch, rubber stall mats, and cardboard boxes! All three of them are very good at making their beds using whatever we give them. But Kalluk does seem to take great care in his creations, spending much time moving things around so they are just right. He also uses many of the toys as pillows. It’s pretty funny watching a 1,000-pound boy being so particular about his bed!
In the Arctic, polar bears make beds as well. If the snow is deep enough, they’ll break through the icy crust and dig down to get shelter from the wind. They also dig into kelp beds along the coast. It’s a great soft bed that’s good to eat as well! A few years ago, a big male bear broke into the cardboard bin at the town recycle center in Canada and made himself a bed. He apparently was in there for several days before anyone noticed. Keep recycling. . .it’s good for polar bears in many ways!
JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
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May 20th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I find it totally endearing when they nap with their favorite toy. How like them we are, at least those of us with teddy bears!
May 20th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
This is a great update! Thanks, JoAnne. I can feel your love for these giants, just in the way you choose your words and phrase. But I gotta tell you; I may never look at a sugar donut in the same way again. (Or a Polar Bear either, for that matter!
) Keep up the good work. Also, that’s a priceless picture of Chinook. I feel you all will have a new addition in the caves in a few months.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:17 am
I always thought they dug down and lay in the kelp because decomposition caused it to be a little warm.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:25 am
Hi JoAnne – Thank you so very much for the wonderful blog. It is enjoyable and very informative. I really liked your cute story about the three “sugar donuts.”
When you mentioned Chinook’s fur, you reminded me about our visit to the Polar Bear Plunge on Mother’s Day. Chinook was the only bear in the pool. She was practicing her back flips while Kalluk and Tatqiq were enjoying an afternoon nap at the back rock wall.
After a while, Chinook swam over to the viewing window to the delight of the visitors. She climbed out of the pool and immediately dug into a pile of sweet potatoes. I’ve never seen Chinook eat so many sweet potatoes at one time.:-) After she was out of the pool and had dried off a little, I said, “look how beautiful Chinook’s coat looks”. JoAnne, your description “seems to be glowing” is perfect. Her fur was white as white can be and glistening. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the visitors.
I’m very happy the den is almost complete and that a den cam may be installed. I am hoping and praying for a cute little cub or two this year.
I also love the photo of sweet Chinook – she looks so tranquil floating in the pool.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:34 am
What a lovely picture of Chinook on her back in the pool. She does look very content. Sounds like they had great fun being donuts. When they’ve had enough of the sand, do they wash it off in the pool? If they do, I feel sorry for the poor staff on pool cleaning duty next morning!
Thanks for the lovely update – it’s great to read about the polar trio and their latest antics.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for the wonderful update!
May 21st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Thank you for the very sweet story about the sugar donuts — and I think I agree with you — I love our “sugar donuts” better too! Sweet, sweet Kalluk — making his bed just so. It’s very clear to me that they are very happy bears — thank you so much!!
May 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
JoAnne, thanks for a fabulous update. I laughed out loud thinking of Kalluk carefully making his bed. It reminds me of my dog pawing and pawing at his bead bed until it is just to his liking. Then he carefully lies down for some slumber. Soon he is snoring. Do polar bears snore?
May 21st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Thanks for the update, JoAnne. I had to laugh when you called Chinook “pigpen”. I have to admit, I have often called her the chocolate bear because she was often brown and dirty next to Kalluk and Tatqiq. She is certainly beautifully white and “glowing” now. Maybe it is the glow of impending motherhood?? I certainly hope so. Polar bear cubs would be a wonderful addition to the already wonderful SDZ!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
thanks for these great bear blogs! it’s great to learn more about polar bears in general and these bears in particular
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Oh no. The only way I can tell Chinook and Tatqiq apart is that Chinook has more gold in her coat. Wish you could put a mark on the back of one of them!
May 24th, 2009 at 7:18 am
it’s funny how animals like their beds just so! I guess animals as well as people like to be comfortable and cozy when they nap or retire for the night!! these bears have it made to say the least. everything is provided for them that they need to survive. so, they can spend more time eating, sleeping, swimming and playing. no wonder they are so healthy and happy!! no seal meat on their diets!!!
May 25th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
How sweet. It looks like Chinook and Kalluk playing in slow motion in the water (Monday afternoon). Play with Tatqiq is usually more intense and energetic, so that makes me think it’s Chinook.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Hello Rita, You can tell them apart by the shapes of their heads. Tatqiq has a definite bump on the top of her skull, and her ears are set lower. Chinook has a straight brow, with the ears at the top of her head. Aside from that, Tatqiq has sort of a perfect polar bear profile. Chinook is a bit lanky; you can especially see it in her front legs as she moves about. The bones are looooong.
Hey JoAnne, Chinook seems to be rather interested in snacking these days. She’s protective about the food she finds, I watched her chase Tatqiq away this morning. Does that mean anything? Of course the chasing could have just been a game.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I know, I know, it’s too early to tell — but fingers crossed she is “snacking” for 2 or 3! She really has been a bit protective of her carrots lately.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Thank you for all the information on the bears and their bedding materials! It is interesting to hear what they like and how fussy they can be to get things “just right”. I also wonder if Chinook’s glowing beauty is because she is expecting cub(s)?? The photo of her floating is gorgeous!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Joanne,
Thank you for another great blog about our favorite bears. I met you during the last snow day and wrote the blog to encourage everone to let you know how we’re reducing our carbon footprints. My brother, who lives in Kansas City, loves polar bears and will come to visit San Diego sometime this year. He wants to come when the bears have another snow day. Do you know when the snow days will be for the remainder of 2009? My brother would like to get a discount airline ticket so advance notice is necessary. Thank you, Joanne!
JoAnne responds: I don’t know! I’ve not heard of any planned–darn!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Is the on again, off again, romance on again? Kalluk was doing the backward shuffle early this morning and he seems to be sticking close to Chinook.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:46 am
5.45am SDZ time and there are two bears out having a ‘very good time’, nudge nudge, wink wink. Is Kalluk interested in Chinook again? She seems quite happy.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Hee-hee. I guess they thought no one would be watching.
Question for JoAnne: How do you get the bears to come inside when you want to clean up the exhibit? Are they trained to respond to some kind of signal or call, or is there some kind of routine to the whole thing?
May 28th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Hmmm … very interesting — Chinook (who is absolutely filthy by the way) has a huge stash of crunchy snacks — and Kalluk is very close by keeping a close eye on her — very protective. I think there is something going on between them. It’s very sweet how he is laying on his tummy, sort of stretched out facing her — with the sweetest look on his face. Cute couple!
May 28th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Oops! Someone caught a photo of them being amorous on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10775794@N00/3573815722/
Obviously he’s had another hormone message. Do his hormone levels come and go throughout the spring or does being around her and her hormone levels attract him?
May 29th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Thank you, JoAnne. I’ll keep checking this blog to check for updates on the next snow day(s).
May 29th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Where is the dirt in the exhibit that Kalluk and Chinook can get so dirty?
May 29th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Hey JoAnne, tell the shop that they should get polar bear shopping bags. I’d buy them for all my friends for Christmas. The tigers are nice, but we all know that bears are better.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Rita — from the view we usually have — there is a mulch bed at the top left of the exhibit — just out of our camera view — although sometimes it’s in view, and you can see one of the bears, usually Chinook rolling around in it. I believe that is where most of the dirt comes from.
May 31st, 2009 at 6:28 am
6:42am CST Sunday…………….Kalluk & Chinook had another “very good time” wink wink.
May 31st, 2009 at 5:06 pm
A beautiful closeup of 2 bears sleeping next to each other, with the bags and palm fronds under them. I am assuming this is Chinook and Kalluk, again. Apparently he is enamoured with her, again! I thought I saw a bit of snuggling action a few days ago! They are certainly keep their Keepers wondering and forever full of surprises! If there are no cubs, this year, it certainly won’t be from lack of trying!
June 1st, 2009 at 10:38 am
Oh my, who is that filthy bear out with another, very white bear – 10.40am SDZ time.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:03 pm
#29, that would be Chinook, who loves to roll in the mulch and get all dark!
I am curious. Now that Kalluk and Chinook are suddenly breeding again, is that a strong indicator that she presently is not pregnant? Or are her eggs still floating around and maybe they are trying for triplets?? That suddenly just occured to me. Sorry to scare you like that!
June 4th, 2009 at 6:03 am
6am Polar Bear Cam time! Two bears are out on the exhibit. that I can see. Kalluk and I think Chinook. Both did their sniff-about and then Kalluk grabbed a bone, tossed it into the water and dived after it. He brought it to stone table and began to chew on it. After Chinook (?) checked the area out, she dove in after him. They had a few chases and rumbles in the water, and when done, Chinook stole his bone and is presently displaying it on her belly as she does flaunting back floats. I can’t tell whether Kalluk finds this alluring or really wants his wife to give him back his chewy bone!! I love watching them interact! How is Tatqiq doing? I miss her presence.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Joanne – Is this wishful thinking on the part of bloggers, or is something going on between Kalluk and Chinook? I thought I read that things were cooling down between them, and that he and Tatqiq were spending more time together. Was I imagining all this? From what the last few bloggers appear to have observed, I am confused.
When you have time, please do an update to let us know who is who and who the most common pair is. If it is more sexual overatures between Kalluk and Chinook, I am sure bloggers will be glued to their screens watching for their late night “dates.”
June 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I love going to the zoo and I watch the Polar Bears several times a day on the cam. It would be so nice to watch them and be sure of the correct animal while watching. The pandas have a number on the screen and it is fun to learn the individual personalities through their actions. I really hope that if Chinook is
expecting that there will be a cam in the den so the world can share the habits of the new arrival.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hi! I’m curious, how do the zoo keepers and polar bears interact? The bears are all very cute, but I know they are still wild animals.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
2:21pm Polar Bear Cam Time! One of the bears is having a blast whipping around a piece of seaweed or palm, in the water, tossing it away and diving after it, bringing it back to stone table and whipping it around again, holding it by his/her teeth. Cannot tell which bear, but they are making the water quite choppy!
June 11th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Hi! What’s the latest about Chinook? Has anyone done an ultrasound on her to see if she is actually pregnant yet? Can’t wait to find out what’s up with her, you all! Let us know, ok?
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
June 12th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Hey Chari, I don’t think she’s officially pregnant until the fertilized eggs implant, and that won’t happen for several months yet. It’s a process called “delayed implantation”. If the mother’s body isn’t ready to support a pregnancy — she’s not fat enough to provide the milk for all those months in the den — the eggs are just reabsorbed, and there’s no pregnancy after all. That’s the wisdom of the female bear’s body … but it’s unlikely to happen to Chinook. She’s certainly well-fed. But the eggs still won’t begin to develop into fetuses until fall.
Hey Christina, I just read a book called Smiling Bears by Else Poulsen, who was a bearkeeper at the Calgary Zoo and later the Detroit Zoo. She tells exactly how keepers interact with bears. Yes, they’re wild animals, but they’re also huge, sensitive, and intelligent individuals. It’s a delightful and touching book. I recommend it.
June 12th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Did the bears get new balls? I see some purple ones in the plunge and everytime I peek in on the cam a bear is absolutely having, well, a ball with a ball!! Which bear is so enchanted? Someone is having some great playtime!
June 12th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Really enjoyed watching Kalluk play Friday afternoon. The way he throws a ball or other object up in the air and then goes after it is just like something my dog would do. Was it Chinook getting territorial when Kalluk went near her? Thanks for letting us watch.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Kalluk is playing with the lavender ball, Saturday morning, trying to get it to stay underwater, but it keeps bouncing up. So cute.
Have noticed Kalluk jumping off the rock in the middle of the pool on to whoever he is playing with. Had just noticed the females doing this before. That’s a lot of bear to land on you.
June 16th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Boy — they sure love their new purple ball!
June 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Purple! My favourite colour. This must have been covered before so I apologise in advance but, can polar bears differentiate between colours?
June 17th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Yes, they see colors as we do.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I am pretty sure they see colours as I remember it being mentioned that Tatqiq likes pink and Kalluk likes blue. Lavender is a nice in-between colour for all of them!
June 20th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Well, the waves are going! Kalluk and one of the females are having a bear hug match in the water. Guess who is winning?
June 21st, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I have just recently discovered the webcams at the zoo. All are awesome,but I must say they are all not managed or watched as carefully as the panda cam. Whomever runs it, does a marvelous job. Elephants are second. The Polar cam is not watched very carefully at all. I check my cams off and on all day and usually see nothing but water over and over and over. Only last nite June 15th I saw an angle on the cam I had never seen before allowing me to see one of them sleeping in the sand,although it was very restless and it uncalming as it seemed something was bothering their noses or ears and kept rubbing them and panting very hard on the camera. They finally woke themselves up and tried again and again to fall into slumber about 6:00 your time,8:00 here. They eventually got up again and walked off the sand pile never to be seen the rest of the night. Today sunday, june 21st I have not seen much of the bears at all . I saw one swimming about 4:00 your time, went over to side of the pool, played or tore up something blue looking and disappeared. Only after quite a while, did the view change again, but it was back to nothing but water bubbling. If these cams are manned,which I know they are someone needs to man them better and look closer at what is going on so we, the viewing public can see the animals and not just their habitats or such. I get disappointed every time I go to the polar cam.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 am
ok- here it is monday june 22 and I am still looking at the same bubbling water—
where are the bears??:(
Moderator’s note: We just checked and there is a bear on the rock.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:50 am
ya- I saw that for about 2 mins then disappeared, no bears since it is now 11:50 your time- no more bears
just bubbling water.. Is it too hot there for them to come out and swim a bit for them?
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
YIPPEEE!!!! I SEE 2 OF EM SWIMMING NOW!!!! THANK YOU!
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I so wish we had audio on the cams! these 2 look like they are ‘yelling’ to each other.. It is great!
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
To cindy: I think one of the reasons that the cam focuses on the water is because that is where most of the action takes place. I have been watchin the Polar Cam for a few years now, and it is, in fact, the only one I watch. The bears eat mostly on the edge of that rock or by the waterside, and often take their food into the water to eat. Kalluk loves to sit at his stone table and eat while taking in the world. Chasing each other around and diving on top of each other all takes place within the confines of the camera view. So does Chinook’s laps, water wrestling, and loads of play. Off cam they are usually sleeping, though we have been privilaged to see some amazing closeups of sleeping bears. However, once they move back into the water, we miss all the fun while the camera focuses in on stone floors and walls! Sometimes it is just a matter of getting used to when you are apt to see them play as they are fairly reliable on that note! Keep watching and you will appreciate the water fun!
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Any updates? I think I have been seeing a bear napping on the rocks at the edge of the water. Unfortunately my timing isn’t good for the sun angle.
Hope all is well with all three bears, and from the sounds of what I read above, I have missed a lot of action lately.
For those of us whose timing is off, what are the most active times of the day in PDT?
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:52 pm
#50 Cindy, I agree with Debi. Also, when you DO see the bears and their antics, it more than makes up for the times they are not on the cam. Plus, they are animals and won’t come out just because we, mere humans(!) want them to. I miss a lot because I am in the UK and 8 hours ahead of San Diego but I do get to see them sleeping outside in the early hours of the morning when you are all asleep and a few weeks ago I watched Kalluk throwing his bone and chasing it again and again. The pool was beautifully lit and I wished I was there too. Be patient and you will see them.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:06 am
What do the polar bears eat?
Moderator’s note: Polar bears at the San Diego Zoo get carnivore diet (a product for zoos made of ground beef and beef heart. It also contains additional amino acids, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus), dog kibble, trout and other fish, as well as root vegetables and lettuce. Cow femur bones and thawed rabbits are added once or twice per week.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
#54 Michelle & Moderator; that sounds really yummy!!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Hi Susan #55 – A few days ago I received the July ’09 issue of the San Diego ZOONOOZ. I immediately thought of you when I saw beautiful Chinook on the inside of the back cover.
It shows Chinook sitting in the pool, looking up with a beautiful expression on her face. She is holding a head of romaine lettuce and has her head tilted to the left. It looks as if she is saying, “hurry and take the photo, I’m trying to eat my salad”.
The caption on the page reads: “One Cool Customer – Chinook the polar bear knows that nothing is better on a hot summer day than a dip in the pool and a nice salad.”
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
What I know about best times (just don’t hold me to it!). The bears come out on the exhibit around noon (Moderator’s note: 9 a.m. Pacific Time), sometimes a bit earlier. Seasons make a difference and each bear has their own routine. Kalluk seems to love to jump right into the water, Chinook likes to sniff around the whole place and check it out (Kalluk will pace or do this with her or follow her when breeding season is in) and Tatqiq seems to like to get down to business and eat. Short digestive naps take place, though at this point some cheat the “wait an half an hour before swimming” and jump in. After much play, more naps, maybe more munchies. Right now, 1:51 Polar Bear Cam time, one of the bears is playing in the water. Not sure where the other two are. Maybe this is Tatqiq playing while Kalluk and Chinook are napping, or maybe this is Kalluk…too far away to tell, but they are having fun!! Some days they just go nutty and chase each other into the water, all three running around and then jumping in (this would be around 1pm and after) and I know there is also change outs of the bears, though not presently sure of the schedule. I just favourite place the cam and hop in, off and on during the day. If the water is still, no one is in it. If it is wavy, one bear, so keep an eye out, if choppy, 2 or more bears. Keep an eye on the stone, too. If it is wet either they are chasing each other in and out, or if the water seems calm, you just missed a lot of fun, so try again the next day, a wee bit earlier! Hope this helps!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Is breeding time still on, or have things settled down a bit now?
JoAnne responds: It would appear breeding is done for the year. Everyone is happy to have less behavior fluctuations due to increased hormones! Tatqiq is especially happy to have her brother back to play as a play mate, especially with their new purple balls!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Thank you #55 Rose N. You described that so well that I’m going to go around all day now with that lovely vision of Chinook in my mind. It’s only 7.35am here and very humid and I’m going to be vacuuming most of the morning as the place is in a mess! Daughter is out on a flying lesson so I am all alone (lovely!) and the thought of Chinook will keep me company. I got my June issue of the SDZ news yesterday but I only get one every few months so I doubt I will get the Chinook one. However, I love the Zoo’s new ‘wayfinding’ system. That paragraph that starts “Stand facing the flamingoes…” brought memories flooding back because that is the way we started out around the zoo, via the koalas.
Last week I managed to catch all three bears out playing. That was amazing! OK, so I saw all three out at the Breakfast last year, but it’s still great to see all three. I’ve noticed at night though that only one bear is ever out, so am I right in assuming that only one has access to the pool during the night?
#57 Debi, I do it that way too otherwise I’d spend all day glued to the screen! I did ask quite a while ago if it would be possible for a photo cam as on the Pandacam and got a hopeful response but nothing has been heard since – obviously the expense is an important thing here. I just get my camera out now!
JoAnne responds: We are still having a variable schedule with who gets to be out and who gets to be in every day. Usually during the day all three bears are together. At night, most of the time two bears are out in the exhibit and one stays inside. This is beginning to change a bit as Chinook is starting to show the first signs of wanting to be alone. She is really enjoying her alone time overnight in the bedrooms: oh, the beds she is making! Hmmmmmmm?
June 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Ha ha! That’s funny that polar bears eat dog kibble!
June 24th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I just had a lovely closeup of a bear (not sure who) sitting on the sand or stone (couldn’t exactly tell) either trying to wake up or falling asleep! They were panting and sniffing the air, barely could keep their eyes open, scratched their back leg, and off they went on some adventure! Does the heat of San Diego ever really get to them and make them pant like that, or is that another bear characteristic I am unfamiliar with? Quite different from polar weather!
June 25th, 2009 at 9:57 am
JoAnne~Chinook is making special beds? Do tell!!! Are we suspicious that she is practicing den making?
June 25th, 2009 at 10:58 am
#61 Debi — Luckily we haven’t had really warm weather here yet — typical “May Gray” and “June Gloom” — meaning cloudy in the mornings — with the clouds burning off by mid-afternoon — but still kinda cool. Perfect napping weather — which the polar bears so perfectly illustrate. Maybe the panting is similar to what cats do when they smell something particularly interesting? Either way, I was watching when you were — and it made me a little sleepy too.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Wow! Intriguing news about Chinook, but I know it’s too early to get overexcited. If there are cubs next year, I’m definitely coming to visit.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:04 am
The purple ball has just been officially drowned and dragged out again in one of the bears’ mouths.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
One of the bears (Tatqiq?) has rescued a small pink item and a purple ball from under stone shelf! Apparently they are into hoarding!!
June 25th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Wow! I keep hitting great moments, today! There is a closeup of a bear drifting off to sleep. He/She is a beautiful glow of snowy white and you can see the bear sniffing, scratching their feet and toes, ears and nose twitching, gentle eyes and what looks like some kind of toy (large brown fuzzy rat?) that they are snuggling with as they fall asleep. They remind me of my previous cats bringing a favourite toy to nap with!
June 25th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I think I am looking at a rare shot of all three bears lying around the Plunge! The fortunate visitors now have an especially close-up view of the bears, and I sure wish I were there right now!!!
June 26th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
there is a sweet sugar bear all stretched out on a rock near the water, with all the balls floating in the water behind him/ her. What a peaceful life these bears have here in San Diego.
June 28th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I learn something new every week! I noticed a foamy substance on top of the water in the polar bear habitat at Memphis Zoo. (This was early morning.) I emailed an inquiry, and got the reply yesterday. Once a week, they add a “clarifier”, which causes “suspended particles in the water to coagulate”, thus making a foamy substance and cleaning the water. Fascinating! I do wonder at times how this procedure is done (cleaning habitat water) at SDZ. Do you use the same procedure to clean the ‘Plunge’s’ water? I’ve never noticed any type of floating substance in your water, but I have seen staff out early, using nets (?) to skim the top of the water.
I don’t know how warm it is in Southern California, but I sincerely hope you’re not as hot as we are in Texas! It’s been triple-digits all week, and it’s early, even for Texas.
JoAnne responds: The San Diego Zoo has a team that takes care of the water quality in all of our exhibits. The Plunge water goes through the filtration once every hour, which includes going through a biofilter to help remove more particulate; vacuuming, netting, and scrubbing of the pool walls, floor, and surface occurs on a minimum of three times a week, more if needed. Water is tested every week for quality and every day for pH.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Hi! Just got on the polar bear cam and saw a very nice close up of one of the polar bears on the big rock surrounded by carrots and a red ball! Is that Chinook? I think she’s the bear that loves to lay down on her food! Hope someone can recognize this polar bear and let me know who that was! This was at 12:30pm EDT (9:30am PDT) today. The bear looked beautiful, clean, and white, and was just relaxing. Great closeup, cam people!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Moderator’s note: Keepers tell us that was probably Tatqiq.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
One of the bears just did a dive with the bone and put it on the stone shelf, turned around, dived back in the water and did the polar paddle back to the mainland! I would love to know what is going on in their heads! Apparently this was very important to do!
June 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for the updates everyone. The best times to check in, the beds that Chinook is making, that mating season is over and Chinook is starting to enjoy her alone time, that Tatqiq and Kalluk are spending more time together playing again, etc.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:22 am
12:21 pm ET Someone is enjoying a back rub. Front paws on the stone table and rubbing up and down on the other part. Looks like it feels pretty good.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:26 am
The purple ball is a definite favourite. The ball is on the rock table with one of the bears resting their chin on it. I waited a while and, sure enough, the ball is now being pushed under the water and played with. I like the chin on the ball thing – is this a polar bear deep in thought?
July 1st, 2009 at 12:21 pm
JoAnne, thanks for your response to the water quality procedures. It is obviously a full-time job to do all the required steps for our bears’ health, water quality being just one issue. You guys never cease to amaze me. I chuckle when I think, as a child, I never considered everything involved in being a zoo-keeper. That’s a misnomer. I should say, ‘animal curator’. Thank you all for your dedication and expertise.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Watching 2 of the bears splashing about in the pool just now makes me anxious for the long weekend… happy 4th everyone!!
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Awww…..Drats! There is someone moving the cam, taking a peek at the various bears laying around the exhibit, but now focused back in on the water area, where no one presently is in. I just can’t win, today! Well, good excuse to take my own bear nap, for the night! They all looked exhausted. There must have been some spendid playtime today!
September 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
do bears eat rocks?