This young male bear hung around our tundra buggy this afternoon

Being the Arctic Ambassador from San Diego Zoo means that I get to represent our awesome zoo and city on this adventure in the Arctic. It also means that when I get home, I plan to share my experience with my hometown and hopefully get people to care about polar bears and want to make a difference for them. In the meantime, I will do my best to post photos and notes from the Arctic as long as our Internet on the Tundra Buggy Lodge holds up. It seems crazy that we are out here parked on the edge of the Arctic Ocean and it seems like we should be disconnected from the world but, as long as it’s not too windy or snowy, we have a microwave feed going to town.

Today we saw a cool polar right outside our tundra buggy vehicle. He was technically the third bear we have seen in the two days we have been here but the other two were at more of a distance. A small bear, probably two years old, was walking down the road in front of our vehicle as we traveled to the Lodge. It ran off into the willows near another larger bear, maybe its mom.

The author learns to scare away polar bears by making noise shooting cracker shells.

Daniel Straub is the San Diego Zoo’s 2009 Teen Arctic Ambassador.

September 29, 2009
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.

Since I was coming here from San Diego, I thought I knew what the kelp would look like. Here on the Hudson Bay, it was incredible; it was black, rubbery, and leaf-like, far from the big kelp on the shores of San Diego. Turns out the polar bears like to roll around in the kelp while waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze. That’s why some of our facilitators had to keep an eye out for polar bears sneaking up on us. Still no sign of polar bears, so back to the Lodge for lunch.

We were on our way home (Wow! I am already calling the Tundra Buggy Lodge home!), and some of us (including me) were allowed to drive the buggy. It was beyond incredible, the size of the buggy. I am only a head taller than the wheel. It was not similar to driving a car. It felt much more powerful, but I felt okay driving it because I didn’t have to worry about hitting anyone, and as long as I stayed on the dirt road, it was easy.

After lunch, we went off again to look for a bear. It turns out that after going about 1,300 feet (400 meters) or so there was a young male taking a nap in the willows. He was a decent-size bear; he was about five years old but he was filled out, definitely well fed. He came over to investigate us and our buggy. At a few feet from the buggy, he was just about 12 or 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) from us since we are up high on the Tundra Buggy. He was so close we could see his ear tags, which meant he had been captured by the scientists who work in this area keeping track of the polar bear population. This bear had some scars on him and a bloody ear, which meant he was probably in some sort of scuffle with another bear around here.

To see all of this detail on a wild bear so close was super inspiring. I have seen the polar bears at the San Diego Zoo probably 1,000 times. And I even had the chance to spend the morning with JoAnne Simerson, the senior polar bear keeper, and the polar bears at the Zoo before I came up here (see JoAnne’s post Polar Bear Happenings). That was awesome, but this was different. Knowing that I was in his wild home made me feel the power of the polar bears. We were just here to watch him do his thing. He didn’t have any fear or even much interest in us. We were just some uninvited guests. And then it struck me, when he came over to look at us: we were in our rolling zoo exhibit and the bear was the curious visitor.

September 30, 2009
Today started again with a tundra wake-up call from Robert Buchanan, the president of Polar Bears International and a pretty bad singer. I was excited to have this morning’s breakfast burrito, a taste of home up here in the Arctic. Well, not exactly as good as home, because San Diego is pretty famous for its Mexican food, but it was good enough.

We went out on the Tundra Buggy where we saw the same male polar bear that we creatively named Bearnard (pictured above). We hung out with him for a while; he then fell asleep, and we decided to start doing our group presentations about stuff we learned from the book Impacts of a Warming Arctic. This book was about the conclusions of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment group, an international effort of all of the countries that have territory in the Arctic Circle.

My group’s presentation was a debate about the changes in weather around the world that are happening because the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere in the Arctic has a strong influence on the global ocean currents and weather. I never thought about how the ocean way up here in the North could have an impact on the currents down in the Pacific Ocean where we are. It really made me start thinking about how connected we all are to the climate and the ocean and the world!

In the middle of our hot debate, the bear decided to wake up and do some walking around, so we had to call a bear break. That has not ever happened to me at Patrick Henry High School during a presentation, so that was something new!

Back at the Lodge, during dinner, somebody yelled “bear,” and we saw Bearnard walking down the road. He explored our camp, and then he promptly fell asleep in our camp. Almost ten minutes later we saw an Arctic fox come running behind the bear, and he was just running and testing the bear’s limits, while getting pretty close. This was definitely a memorable day and night!

Watch the San Diego Zoo’s polar bears daily on Polar Cam.

October 1, 2009
Today I had to help make the meals for the buggy, which was really fun. While making breakfast, an Arctic fox was running around the buggy to say good morning to all of us. It was splendid because of his beautiful colors of white, black, and gray. I never thought I would describe an animal beautiful with such bland colors, but this fox truly was. After that we did videoconferences with kids from Winnipeg, Canada, and from Memphis, Tennessee. This was our first experience of spreading our experience and knowledge. It was a necessary stepping stone to my future presentations.

After lunch, we went on the Tundra Buggy for our last polar bear search before we go back into town tomorrow. This was our best wildlife viewing trip, starting with a pretty big Arctic hare. Now these things look like giant snow balls and it would take three or four of our cute little fluffy cottontail rabbits to make up one of these big guys. But just like the Arctic fox and the polar bear, they have ears on the small side so they don’t get frostbitten and fall off!

Then we saw a peregrine falcon flying around; according to Bill Watkins, our on-board biologist from Manitoba Conservation, they are not the most common bird around these parts, so that was very exciting. After that we pulled up to another young male bear. This one was not Bearnard, so it was exciting because this was our fourth bear! We named him Bearack (pictured above). We could tell that he was a different bear because he had no ear tags. This also means that he is new to the Churchill area. He could be a young bear or one that came in from another area on the ice floes when they broke up in the spring of this year.

One of the greatest things about spending this week with kids like me was that we all have become great friends. And you know you have a good friend when someone can do an awesome impression of you. Rachael, one of the Arctic Ambassador teens from Winnipeg, borrowed my sunglasses, and in her presentation it was like I was watching myself up there. She did an awesome job playing “the guy from San Diego.” After that, Bearack came over right under the buggy and got in our face and greeted us. This was huge to me because this was possibly the last wild polar bear I will ever see.

It is so important to me that all of us who live nowhere near wild polar bears can be part of the movement to help keep the Arctic cold so the polar bears can survive. I have been so inspired by meeting these people and these polar bears, and I know that people can use less energy, plant tons of trees, buy recycled products so we don’t have to use more resources, and do the hard stuff we need to do so that we can make things better for polar bears and all of the other things living on this planet.

Later that night we saw for the first time the Northern Lights. They were beautiful. I didn’t realize how much the Northern Lights would be moving. And they were waves coming across the sky. Fun fact: there are different colors of the Northern Lights; we saw green and purple ones. If it were possible, I think everyone needs to see them at some point in their life. This was definitely the way to end the trip, because we all congregated as one big group and just relaxed under them and watched this once-in-a-lifetime event. It was the proper Arctic farewell.

Red River Hogs:
Everyone is doing well (see One Pig, Happy Family). Jabari is now nearly nine months old and continues to flourish. He hardly resembles the tiny, striped little creature that could barely crawl into my lap. Our construction team is currently working tirelessly on building a permanent pool for the hogs to enjoy wallowing in during the hot summer months.

Okapis:
Baby Sekele, now seven months old, is doing very well, weighing in at a respectable 350 pounds or 159 kilograms (see New Okapi: Shh…It’s a Secret). His training is coming along slowly but surely. Sekele is already way ahead of the bar set by his older sister, Sukari. She has a big trip coming up; she will be moving to San Antonio in early February. The okapis’ exhibit-mates, duikers Luke and Mae, are doing very well.

River Hippos:
Funani and Otis continue to get along famously (see Hippos: Big Love). Ever since their reintroduction, they have been inseparable. We have witnessed them breeding many times, but so far they have not been successful in conceiving. We will continue to monitor Funani’s fecal hormone levels so that we can be certain if and when Funani does get pregnant.

Red Panda:
Julong is easy to miss—he lives right across the road from his more popular cousins, the giant pandas (see Little Red Panda). He spends most of the day sleeping, and is often hard to spot. If you happen to catch him during a moment of activity, it is well worth it. He is absolutely adorable, and if you see his face, it’s easy to tell that he is actually more closely related to the raccoon than to the giant panda. Julong is getting on in years. The average lifespan for red pandas in zoos is roughly 14 years (8 to 10 years in the wild), and Julong is about 11 years old. He has had some health problems, but we continue to watch him closely and adapt his enclosure to his changing needs. Most recently, in response to Julong’s poor eyesight and difficulty balancing, we put up some flat wooden planks (as opposed to rounded tree branches) to help him get from platform to platform.

Malayan Tapir:
The most recent addition to the area I work in is Chantek, a 26-year-old Malayan tapir (see Tapir Tales). She wasn’t getting along with her cohabitants in Tiger River, so she is currently residing in the hippo barn until a more suitable enclosure can be constructed for her. Chantek is doing very well and pays little heed to her large, boisterous neighbors. Otis, however, is rather intrigued by his new neighbor.

Well, that’s all the news for now. As you can tell, things at the San Diego Zoo are always changing, and the life of a keeper is never dull!

Nate Schierman is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch Nate’s video…

Then, within moments, he just became a ball of wriggling fun. So much wriggle, in fact, there was no chance to measure his length today. (His cute little tail, though, was 3.9 inches or 10 centimeters.) And when a keeper did manage to hold him still for a moment’s measurement, he would squeak in protest. This little ball of black-and-white fur just wanted to play!

The keepers had left out a big blue ball, a small solid plastic ball, a plastic bucket, and slices of apple for Yun Zi to explore. And that’s what this little boy was determined to do. He knocked over the plastic bucket. He sniffed and rolled the apple on the ground. He sat up with his body draped over the hard plastic ball and then fell over backward, still holding on! When one of the keepers scratched his back, Yun Zi rolled over on his back, his mouth open, as if in laughter.

“He’s obviously teething,” said PK Robbins, one of the San Diego Zoo’s associate veterinarians. “He was also very exploratory. It was really good.” She said between his curious meanderings today and the exploring he did in the private yard outside his den yesterday (often called the classroom exhibit), he’s making quantum leaps in exploring his environment.

Dani Dodge is a public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.

Please note: No video will be available from today’s exam. Instead, we have video from Yun Zi’s outdoor explorations on December 21—enjoy!

Then it was up in the tree, the Chinese elm on the right side of the enclosure. Up and down, hanging by her hips, rubbing and bouncing, she gave a great show. Energy undiminished, she went way out toward the ends of the branches, bouncing some more. She had a look in her eye as she checked out the pine branch extending toward the elm branch, and she went for it. Su Lin grabbed the pine branch and was pulling it toward her. Was she going to transfer herself to the pine? No, as she stretched from the end of the elm branch to the pine, the elm tree started slowly descending toward the ground! Apparently the rain-softened earth let go of the roots, and the tree fell over, resting on the big stump toward the front. Su Lin was smacked by the end of a branch but was uninjured; she began playing in the now-horizontal tree.

Zoo guests were astounded! Open mouthed, we all watched the panda jumping on the newly repositioned branches. What fun! Next, a quick radio call to the keepers and a request for the guests to exit the exhibit. We had to be sure the panda did not have a way to get out of her enclosure. She didn’t. The keepers rattled the treat bucket and called to Su Lin to come into the bedroom. She ignored them, climbing around and hanging on the branches, sniffing and digging at the exposed roots, enjoying her rearranged furniture.

After playing for a bit, the panda became interested in the proffered treats and came over to the fence, got her treat, ignored the keeper’s calls, and explored some more. Finally, she went into the bedroom, and then it was safe for the keepers to enter and examine the damage. In short order the San Diego Zoo’s arborist arrived to assess the situation. Horizontal looked okay to him, and he thought the tree would survive. It was moved a little so it didn’t rest on the stump, and some branches were trimmed so Su Lin could come back in and enjoy her redecorated enclosure.

Chris Tratnyek is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Early on the morning of December 18, the Horticulture Department laid down fresh sod in both enclosures. The bright green grass covers most of the ground in each enclosure, and it looks wonderful. A perfect Christmas treat! The new grass was sniffed and pawed by both Su Lin and Zhen Zhen. It is a great form of enrichment for the bears and last time we had fresh sod it lasted for a few months. So, will the pandas get grass-stained tails instead of muddy ones? We will have to watch.

Lots of milestones in the birthing den. Little Yun Zi’s abilities change every day. Did my eyes deceive me? Was Yun Zi sucking his panda thumb Friday afternoon? Sure looked like he was. The little fellow has been full of surprises all week. The day before, I saw him sitting up briefly before tipping over several times. And one morning he found a small chunk of culm that had three short branches sticking out of it. Working at it, he picked it up in his paw and promptly put it in his mouth. He manipulated the bamboo, holding it this way and that and chewing on it. He is teething and the biting may feel good on his gums. He played this way for a long time, switching to other pieces of bamboo but returning to that first one several times. (How did he find it again? Did he recognize it by sight or by smell?) You know, he will be picking up bamboo and putting it into his mouth for his entire life. No surprise that he is learning this skill at such a tender age.

Chris Tratnyek is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Shiley, Johari, and Taraji in a rare moment of repose.

We’ve had an explosion of cuteness at the Wild Animal Park in the form of adorable cheetah cubs. Critically endangered, each cheetah cub arrival is cause for celebration—but what do we do with all those spots?

Although these tall, slender cats are familiar to all, not everyone is aware that cheetahs may not be around much longer without some serious help from researchers. The Wild Animal Park set up a cheetah breeding program in 1970, and 133 cheetahs have been born as a result of this effort.

Amara spent the summer as part of the Zoo's Backstage Pass program.

The first cheetah cub born at the Park this year was Amara. Her story is extra special as her conception was the result of a new bioacoustic program developed by researchers at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research (see post Calling Cheetahs). Born in February, Amara was hand raised in the Park’s Animal Care Center, much to the delight of our guests, who could see the cub napping in her crib or being bottle-fed by one of her nursery keepers. It was decided that Amara be groomed for life as an ambassador for her species, so the Park’s animal trainers began visiting and bonding with her at the nursery. When she was old enough, Amara moved to the Park’s animal training compound.

Then in May, three cheetahs born at another facility arrived at the Park to be hand raised. Named Shiley, Johari, and Taraji, they were quite the handful for our nursery staff and were barel still long enough to pose for group photos! Soon after, Amara’s mother, Kenya, delivered another singleton cub. As cheetah mothers eventually reject singletons, this newest cub, named Lindewe, was slowly introduced to the older trio for socialization purposes.

These days, Amara, Shiley, and Johari are learning the ropes of being animal ambassadors at the Wild Animal Park, while Taraji is doing the same at the San Diego Zoo. Lindewe has been returned to the Park’s cheetah research station for future participation in the breeding program there. She is joined each night by her former nursery mates, Shiley and Johari, for cheetah-style companionship and playtime.

The youngsters will soon be ambassador pros like veteran Majani.

Mike Burke, a lead animal trainer at the Wild Animal Park, says there is definitely a “cuteness” overload at the training compound with three young cheetahs, as well as veteran cheetah Majani, in residence! They make appearances on television and in our animal shows and encounters at the Park. All of the youngsters are trained to walk on a leash, focus on their trainer, sit, go in and out of a crate, and ride in a cart as part of their varied “ambassador duties.” Mike describes Amara as a confident little fireball of energy, a youngster who is ready for anything that comes her way; Shiley is the most affectionate of the trio and enjoys working with his trainers; and Johari is more reserved, seeming to daydream at times. Mike is proud of their accomplishments so far and sees a bright future ahead for all those spots!

Debbie Andreen is an associate editor for the San Diego Zoo.

All this is very normal behavior for a pregnant polar bear. What we don’t know is if she could be experiencing a pseudo (or false) pregnancy. At this point, the only way we know to tell the difference is when we see the cubs. And before you wonder….Yes, we are beginning to perform ultrasound checks on Chinook. We really don’t know what to expect or when we might see something. It’s very reminiscent of the first time we performed ultrasound on our giant panda Bai Yun! The big difference is we’ll be looking for a fetus about the same size as a panda baby in a body currently at 650 pounds (295 kilograms)!

The preparations for the den and adjacent bedrooms are almost complete. The den is ready for installation as soon as Chinook gives the word; the bedrooms adjoining the den are closed in, darkened, and have sound protection; and yes, the camera mount for the den is ready! We don’t yet know if we’ll be able to have a live camera feed, but we’re working on that.

The polar bear management yard will be completed within the next few weeks. This yard will be the first place Chinook will take her cubs outside. The pool is designed specifically for cubs learning to swim. And, most importantly, the yard is all natural dirt. Can you imagine the pigpen lessons Chinook will give her cubs? Oh, the art of how to get really, really dirty!

Keep an eye on things, and when you see us put a hush over the area and ask, “Can we have quiet, please?”, you’ll know we are getting closer to knowing “Is she or isn’t she?”!

JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch the bear daily on Polar Cam