Daniel is the San Diego Zoo’s Teen Arctic Ambassador 2009. Read his previous post, Teen Arctic Ambassador Lives Life in the North

Today we arose to the harmonious singing voice of Robert Buchanan, the president of Polar Bears International and the “Head Bear” of our Leadership Camp. He was singing “Oh, what a beautiful morning.” The tundra was beautiful, that was true. After a wonderful breakfast, we went onto the Tundra Buggy to explore the wonders of the Arctic for three hours, but we didn’t find anything in the polar bear department. Since we didn’t see anything, we were allowed to get out of the Tundra Buggy and step on the ground. This was huge, since this was the first time we have set foot on the ground since arriving at camp in the Tundra Buggy Lodge.
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Getting to the Arctic Circle is not easy. When we left San Diego on Sunday, September 27, the weather forecast was predicting highs in the upper 90s. So the hard part started before I even left, having to put warm clothes in a suitcase with such hot weather outside. We stopped in Winnipeg for the first night and then flew onward to Churchill on a small plane that carried 16 of us teen ambassadors from places in Canada, the U.S., and Australia. I am attending Polar Bears International’s Teen Leadership Camp for a week. This cool program is done as a partnership between Polar Bears International and the Arctic Ambassador Center network of zoos that is headquartered at the San Diego Zoo.
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Have you ever remodeled your house? The construction noise and dust seem to go on forever. In the end, it’s all worth it! That is what San Diego Zoo polar bears Chinook, Kalluk, Tatqiq, as well as their keepers have been living with for what seems like months. But we’re getting through it fabulously! Although Kalluk wasn’t sure about it at first, he has now been promoted to construction supervisor and can often be seen watching the work in the new management yard while soaking his paws in the drinker on what we call reindeer ridge.
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We are anxiously awaiting the sounds of polar bear cubs squawking, humming, and crying in Chinook’s den. But we really have very little idea of when that sound will reach us because we still have much to learn when it comes to polar bear reproduction. Like other bears, the polar bear exhibits reproductive characteristics that are perfectly tailored to their environment. Without these adaptations, reproduction in the extreme, often harsh, climate of the Arctic, would not be possible.
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The Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo has been a really noisy place during the past few weeks. Yes, lots of construction, but mostly the noise is coming from the questioning. . . is she? We’re talking about the hoped-for pregnancy of Chinook! We still don’t know. ..for sure. That said, Chinook has gained over 20 percent of her normal body weight and has now slipped into the most calm, contented, beautiful mood we have ever seen in her 14, now almost 15, years. The most activity she shows is munching on her carrots while glancing over at the silly antics of Kalluk and Tatqiq and slowly dipping into the plunge pool to luxuriate and soak.
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Last month I had the pleasure of traveling to Beijing, China, to attend the Society of Conservation Biology’s annual conference. I was excited to have the opportunity to present our research on the hearing sensitivity of the polar bear to this international audience of conservation scientists. And what better place to talk about polar bears and the cascade of impacts that climate change is bringing to these Arctic specialists and their habitat than a city bustling with development and all of its promise and associated problems.
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A few months ago we started working on program for our dedicated polar bear and giant panda fans to allow them to get in the driver’s seat and take a stance in the effort to save these two majestic bears. Today we are excited to announce that the program – which we are calling Animal SOS – is finally ready for all of you to see. www.sandiegozoo.org/animalsos
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since we opened Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo in 1996! Chinook was 1½ years old, and Kalluk (pictured) and Tatqiq were still 5 years from existing. When we designed what would be at the time the world’s largest polar bear exhibit, we had not planned on how fast things would change in the polar bear’s world.
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Summer is finally here, and what does that mean for the San Diego Zoo’s polar bears? How do Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq do in the warmer weather? First, you need to understand how polar bears in the wild do in the cold. Polar bears are specially evolved to survive in the Arctic cold primarily with their fat layer. Yes, they do have thick fur and hide, but it is the fat that provides the key to survival. Polar bears are efficient at digesting fat from the food they eat. The fat develops on their abdomen first, then over their rear ends, and then disperses over the entire body. They also get the majority of their fresh water from this metabolic process. There is little fresh water in the Arctic except if one eats snow or ice, and that burns up a lot of needed calories!
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Long 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!
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