Toledo Zoo is Pleased to Announce their Polar Bear Cub is a Healthy 33 Pound Baby Boy

By Eric Klinger

Toledo, OH - The animal care staff at The Toledo Zoo recently had its first opportunity to examine the polar bear cub born in early December 2009, and the Zoo is pleased to announce that the cub is a healthy baby boy! Although he weighed only a pound at birth, he has already grown to be over 33 pounds. Both the cub and mother Crystal are doing well, and the Zoo expects that he will be on exhibit later this spring in the Arctic Encounter® exhibit.

Now that the sex of the polar bear has been determined, the little fellow needs a name. The Toledo Zoo, in conjunction with Polar Bears International and the World Wildlife Fund has asked the young people from the North Slope of Alaska to come up with a suitable name for such a special little bear. The North Slope is the region from which the Zoo’s other female bear Nan was found as an orphan over a decade ago. According to the Zoo’s Curator of Mammals, Dr. Randi Meyerson, “We hope to work together to facilitate a relationship between the children of Toledo that love our polar bears and the children of the North Slope that live with and respect these animals.”

The cub was the only polar bear born in a U.S. zoo in 2009, and his birth is another important step in the conservation of polar bears. Because many populations of polar bears are declining in the wild and as more of their Arctic habitat is lost each year to climate change, every cub counts. As more people have an opportunity to encounter these majestic animals in person, the Zoo believes that they will be moved to care even more for their wild counterparts. Further updates, including video, will be available on the Zoo’s website at www.toledozoo.org/animals/polarbearcub. Zoo births are proudly sponsored by Fisher-Price.

The Toledo Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located on the Anthony Wayne Trail (US 25), four miles south of downtown Toledo. For more information, please visit www.toledozoo.org or call (419) 385-4040. Lucas County residents are admitted free of charge each Monday from 10 a.m. to noon. ID showing proof of residency is required.

The Toledo Zoo is committed to inspiring others to join in caring for animals and conserving the natural world. As part of that mission, The Toledo Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. AZA member institutions are dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for visitors and a better future for all living things.

To view Toledo Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-50-Toledo_Zoo