DENVER — Cranbeary, the 16-year-old female polar bear that called Denver Zoo home until recent weeks, is now settling into Alaska Zoo, where she was sent to mate with a new companion.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums decided to separate Cranbeary and Lee, the 18-year-old polar bear that’s headed for Columbus, Ohio, after several years of trying unsuccessfully to have a baby bear.
So it was much to everyone’s surprise when the Alaska Zoo told Anchorage's NBC affiliate, KTUU, that Denver’s deported polar bear is living in quarantine in case she’s expecting.
They have no indication that Cranbeary is with cub (e.g. she hasn’t asked for pickle-flavored ice cream), said Alaska Zoo Executive Director Patrick Lampi, but they separated her until they confirm a Baby Cranbear-Lee is or is not on the way.
“Since she had been with a male in Denver, there’s the very, very slight possibility she could be pregnant,” Lampi told Next by phone.
Zoos don’t have pregnancy tests for polar bears, but they do have access to Elvis, the beagle based at Cincinnati Zoo that’s been trained to sniff out pregnancies in polar bear poop. He assessed Cranbeary’s sample in 2013 when Denver Zoo thought maybe, just maybe, they had a bundle of joy on the way.
Elvis’ nose is no good now, though, as he’s only capable of recognizing such a scent a few weeks out from birth.
Back in Alaska, one nose knows all about Cranbeary. A wall separates her from her designated partner, Louie, but her pheromones can't be stopped by any boundary. While Cranbeary’s only just arrived in Anchorage, Lampi says Louie’s gazing toward the direction of her enclosure and soaking in her scent.
“I know he’s already sniffing the air. I’m sure he could already smell her here within a few minutes of her arrival,” Lampi said.
Should Cranbeary be pregnant with Lee’s cub, she will raise it as a single momma bear, just as she’d do in Denver. Cubby daddies don’t raise their young. Lampi expects Cranbeary would have about two years with the cub until the AZA decides where to move it, and Louie wouldn’t have access to Cranbeary or the baby in the meantime.
“She stays separate from him because they're not family units out in the wild,” Lampi said.
Thousands of people signed a petition to keep Cranbeary and Lee together at the Denver Zoo. While well-meaning, it ignores the fact that polar bears don't mate for life. Denver Zoo staff described the bears as solitary animals, which spent time together only during the mating season each year.
AZA’s decision left Denver without polar bears for the first time in 80 years, but even Denver Zoo staff said this setup is for the best. With 44 polar bears in North American zoos, this rearrangement provided hope for new little ones.
“Nobody’s really expecting [Cranbeary] to be pregnant, since they’ve been together for a number of years during breeding season, and we’re not really expecting anything different. But it’s better to be cautious and do the right steps, just in case,” Lampi said.
Lee should leave Denver for Ohio by the end of fall.