Tribute to Snow...The other half of Klondike was found dead on Monday

Snow

06.11.1994 - 02.09.2012

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Nach nur knapp 7 Monaten in Tucson Arizona im Reid Park Zoo wurde Snow letzten Montag völlig überraschend tot in ihrem Gehege gefunden.
(Mehr Details auf Deutsch bei Ulli J)

After only 7 month in the Reid Park Zoo, Snow was found dead in her enclosure last Monday morning.

"We are very sad to announce that “Snow,” the Zoo’s 17 year-old polar bear, has died unexpectedly. She was discovered first thing this morning by her Zoo Keeper. She was in her normal sleeping position and location, with no signs of trauma. The Zoo’s veterinarian indicated that although she had chronic health issues, she was improving. She was swimming and eating well yesterday. We are proud of everything the Zoo staff did to provide Snow with a wonderful quality of life in Tucson. She will be missed." 

More details here

Photo source

Snow war nicht irgendwer. Sie und ihr Zwillingsbruder Klondike machten 1994 ähnlich wie Knut Schlagzeilen als sie per Hand aufgezogen wurden, da ihre Mutter Ulu sie nicht annahm.Es war Ulus erster Nachwuchs, und sie war ganz offenbar wie viele Erstgebärende nicht auf sie vorbereitet.Normalerweise baut der Körper einer Eisbärin Fettreserven auf, erst dann kommt es zur Entwicklung der befruchteten Eier. Ulu hatte während ihrer Schwangerschaft nicht zugenommen.-

Snow was a polar bear with a very special story, she and her twin brother Klondike made headlines in 1994 as they were, similar to Knut, raised by their zoo keepers in Denver as their mother Ulu rejected them. Obviously she was not ready to raise the cubs, not only that she hadn't prepared for birth, she hadn't gained weight neither.
"Usually, the body of a female polar bear will not let her eggs develop until her body has built up a large store of fat."

Die nachfolgenden Bilder von der kleinen Snow damals mit ihrem Bruder hat mir Diane aus Canada geschickt, wofür ich mich herzlich bei ihr bedanken möchte.Sie sind zu lieblich!

Thanks to our Canadian friend Diane here some pics of little Snow with and without her brother Klondike..  

Kleine Snow, kleines Bäuchlein...mein Lieblingsfoto von der kleinen Maus!
My favourite pic of little Snow...

Bis zu ihrem ersten Geburtstag wurden sie von einem sehr hingebungsvollem Team betreut, die zeitweilig auch ihre Schlafsäcke mit den beiden geteilt haben.Anders als bei Knut und Thomas Dörflein gab es hier 3 Betreuer, die sich die Nächte aufteilten.Die ersten 8 Monate blieb der Kontakt eng. Ein Zwischenfall während des Fütterns von Klondike, bei dem er Cindy Bickel in die Ecke trieb, verdeutlichte den Ersatzeltern, dass die beiden Bären nun ihren eigenen Platz brauchten.-

Until their first birthday the bears were raised by their keepers who even shared at times their sleeping bags with them. Differently to Knut and Thomas Dörflein the bears were raised by a team of three, so they could take turns.The bond between the bears and their surrogate parents stayed very close.It was an incident during feeding time when the bears were 8 months old, which showed the keepers that time for a change was due. Klondike had cornered Cindy Bickel.Her colleague could help her and no harm was done but it became clear that the bears had outweighed their keepers and needed a place on their own.

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Hier das Buch mit ihrer Geschichte.-
Klondike and Snow's story was published in a book. 

Find here an extract about Snow's and Klondike first year when they were raised by their keepers Dr.David Kenny, the zoo's senior veterinarian, and his staff, Cindy Bickel and Denny Roling.

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Es gab sogar ein Mathebuch für Kinder, auf einer Seite wurde die Geschichte der beiden kleinen Eisbären erzählt und auf der anderen Seite ging es z.B.ans Errechnen der richtigen Menge an Milch für Klondike und Snow.-


There has even been a children's book, doing math by featuring their story and the challenges of calculating the right amount of milk and other foods.

Klondike & Snow in Seaworld Orlando where they were moved at age one due to zoo space's constraints in Denver at that time, much to the despair of Denver's residents who considered themselves as the cub's extended family.
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Mit einem Jahr kamen die beiden nach Florida, da es in Denver nicht genügend Platz gab.Dies wurde noch Jahre später von vielen Einwohnern Denvers sehr bedauert, hatten sie doch ebenfalls um ihr Überleben gezittert. Ähnlich wie bei Knut fühlte man sich als erweiterte Familie der beiden kleinen Bären.-

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Hier sieht man Snow in Seaworld Orlando. Ihre gesundheitliche Entwicklung war nicht immer einfach, als Jungtier hatte sie Rachitis, in den letzten Jahren chronische Hautallergien, weshalb sie sich nach mehr als 17 Jahren von ihrem Bruder trennen musste. Man hoffte, dass ihr das trockenere Klima in Arizona gut tun würde, und es sah auch bis letzte Woche danach aus.-

Snow had a complicated medical history. She had rickets when she was young. In recent years she developed serious skin allergies, which was the reason to send her to Arizona, it was hoped that the drier climate would do her good.After more than 17 years of living together, Klondike and Snow had to part from each other.

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 Klondike lebt weiterhin in Seaworld Orlando.-

Klondike still lives in Seaworld Orlando.

Time to say farewell to Snow.

As for me her story is so much connected to the first year, here an enchanting video, which I like a lot.

You will be missed, Snow,
wherever you are, I am sure you will from time to time watch over your brother, won't you...?

Sources:

- Denver-Born Polar Bear ‘Snow’ Dies/KMGH Denver 04.09.2012

- Snow, one of Denver's two famed polar bear cubs died in Arizona/ KDVR 04.09.2012
- Snow stirbt unerwartet/Ulli J's Eisbärenblog 03.09.2012

- Polar bears Klondike and Snow parted after many years/Denver Post 10.02.2012

- Polar bear Snow makes debut at zoo/ Tucson Sentinel 13.02.2012

-Klondike and Snow: when these cubs were born, their keepers had to become polar bear parents/The Free Library 

Related: 
- Olaf im Regenbogenland/03.05.2008
 

Koda & Nuka - Kavec's Offspring...

Ich weiß, ich weiß, alle warten irgendwie auf Neuigkeiten von Wilbär und Ewa in Orsa oder über Knut in Bärlin, doch ich hänge noch immer an Koda und Nuka, den beiden Söhnen von Kavec, die in Pittsburgh leben. Hier ein paar Fotos aus frühen Kindertagen in Denver, eins im Wasser mit Mama Voda, der langjährigen Lebensgefährtin von Kavec...-I know, I know, everybody is waiting for news from Wilbär and Ewa in Orsa or Knut in Bearlin, but I still stick with Koda and Nuka, the offspring of Kavec, living in Pittsburgh...Here some early pics from Denver, one in the water with Mom Voda, the longtime companion of Kavec ...

Aber mittlerweile sind die beiden schon groß und seit Februar 2009 gibt es weiblichen Zuwachs im Zoo, 2 Schwestern aus Toledo, die zwar 2 Jahre jünger, aber auch an einem 25.November geboren sind. Auf die Geburtstagstorte darf man gespannt sein... Koda & Nuka
But meanwhile these little ones have grown and got company, this year in February Pittsburgh Zoo welcomed Anana and Aurora from Toledo, 2 sisters, born as Koda and Nuka on November 25, just 2 years later in 2006. Already looking forward to that birthday cake this year.... Aurora & Anana
Besuch für die beiden gab es schon einmal, im November 2007, der war jedoch vollkommen unerwartet, nicht nur für die beiden Brüder...

A visit of another kind and completely unexpected, not only for the 2 brothers came in November 2007...


Related stories & photo credits:
- Album of Koda & Nuka with Mom Voda as cubs in Denver
- find more photos of Koda & Nuka on patty926's photostream (here/6)
- Article about Anana&Aurora arriving in Pittsburgh here & here
- See photos of Anana&Aurora as cubs in Toledo with Mom Crystal here
- Unexpected visitor in November 2009-article & video

Piraten in Denver....Pirates in Denver....

Eine lustige Fundsache, als ich etwas über Kavecs Leben herauszufinden versuchte...
Nicht Kavec, aber seine Frau Voda aus Denver-Tagen, hier mit Frosty, dem Eisbären aus Tulsa mit dem er 2006 zwecks Zuchtprogramms ausgetauscht wurde.-

Found while looking for more details of Kavec's life:
Not Kavec but his former Denver wife Voda, together with Frosty from Tulsa with whom he had to swap the zoo for breeding reasons.-

The Denver Zoo introduced their polar bears last May to the shipwreck added to their habitat as heavy flakes swirled around the snow-loving pair Frosty and Voda.The curious bears were all over the new addition to their home, the zoo said in a news release, looking for hidden food, climbing on it and playing with the attached balls and ropes.

"The shipwreck is a great way to stimulate natural behaviors in the bears," said Emily Insalaco, the Denver Zoo's manager of behavior programs. "We have seen more of some behaviors, such as foraging for food, digging and manipulating objects, but we have also seen more variety of behaviors, including vocalizing and a bouncing behavior that we usually only see them do on ice or with favorite toys."

One of the behaviors zookeepers were hoping to see is an ice-breaking behavior: In the wild, polar bears must push up and down with their front paws to break through ice and get to the food underneath. The zoo bears have shown this behavior several times on the shipwreck.

The male, Frosty, and female, Voda, have been joined on the shipwreck by Olaf *, a male, and Soosha, a female.

The zoo said the $23,000 ship was assembled over days in the polar-bear habitat. It is made of steel and all-natural woods and finishes.

Related stories, source & photo credits: Shipwreck, Shipwreck project

*That must have been shortly before Olaf died last year

Kavec from Tulsa Zoo is dead...RIP

Das ist Kavec, der 23 jährige Eisbär, der 2006 vom Denver Zoo nach Tulsa ausgeliehen wurde, als Teil eines Zuchtprograms. Kavec wurde letzten Donnerstag eingeschläfert, nachdem man feststellte, dass seine im letzten Dezember entdeckte Nierenerkrankung soweit fortgeschritten war, dass er nicht mehr beschwerdefrei hätte weiterleben können. "Arctic Passage", painting of Kavec in Tulsa

The Tulsa Zoo announced Friday that its polar bear, Kavek, died Thursday after a battle with kidney disease.After zookeepers noticed a change in Kavek's appetite, he was given an emergency medical examination in which it was concluded that his kidney disease had progressed dramatically. "The bleak prognosis coupled with a quality-of-life concern prompted veterinary staff to humanely euthanize the senior-aged male bear," according to a press release distributed by the zoo. Kavek had been undergoing treatment since December for what the zoo's veterinary health staff members had diagnosed as the onset of kidney disease. According to the press release, the polar bear had been on and off exhibit this past winter for treatment of dermatitis, a skin condition caused by the kidney disease. After the skin condition was successfully treated, he returned to public exhibit in March. Kavek was born Nov. 23, 1985, at the Buffalo Zoo and had lived at the Tulsa Zoo since December 2006. He was on loan from the Denver Zoo, while the Tulsa Zoo's former bear, Frosty, is in Denver to participate in a polar bear breeding program.The Tulsa Zoo is inviting the community to share its sympathies and condolences for Kavek on its official MySpace page, found online at tulsaworld.com/myspacezoo. Daughter Cranbeary in Memphis

Es ist nicht ganz so leicht, etwas mehr über Kavec herauszubekommen. Mit 17 löste er in Denver einen Alarm aus, als er einfach seine Höhle verließ und durch eine Türe marschierte. Kavec schwamm gerne und er gehörte zu den sehr erfolgreichen Bären, was Zuchterfolge anging. 1987 kam er nach Denver, wo er mit der etwas jüngeren Voda (mal ist sie fast gleichaltrig,wahrscheinlich aber 2 Jahre jünger) 4 mal Nachwuchs hatte: die ersten 2 Kleinen 1995 überleben nicht. Im November 1999, 11 Monate nach der Geburt von Berit und Uluq, Geschwistern von Klondike & Snow (Vater Olaf/Mutter Ulu), zogen Kavec und Voda ebenfalls mit einem Zwillingspärchen nach, von denen ich leider die Namen nicht herausbekommen konnte. Einen Tag vor Thanksgiving, am 21.11. 2001, wird Cranbeary geboren (nun in Memphis) und wesentlich medienwirksamer folgt dann am 25.11.2004 die Geburt von Koda und Nuka, die 2 Brüder, die nun im Pittsburgh Zoo leben (Foto unten mit Voda).
Voda with Koda and Nuka in Denver

It is not that easy to find out more details about Kavec's life. At age 17 he made the zoo officials in Denver turn on the red alarm when he left his den and went just through a door into hallway. Apart from that he loved swimming and he was considered as a very successful breeder, with Voda (probably 2 years younger) in Denver he became 4 times father, altough the first litter of twins in 1995 did not survive. In November 1999 a second pair of twins was born , 11 months after Berit and Uluq, siblings of the famous hand-raised cubs Klondike & Snow (father Olaf/Mother Ulu). Unfortunately I couldn't find out more about their whereabouts now. Cranbeary, now in Memphis Zoo , was born one day before Thanksgiving on November 21 in 2001.And more mediatised then on 25.11.2004 the birth of Kada and Nuka followed, the 2 brothers now living in Pittsburgh.
Das ist Jan Hatton Collins, Zoomitarbeiterin in Denver, die nicht nur bei der Handaufzucht von Klondike & Snow eine wichtige Rolle spielte, sondern die auch mit Kavec intensiv arbeitete. Kavec war taub, sie half ihm, sich dennoch zurechtzufinden und auf bestimmte Kommandos zu hören, die medizinische Untersuchungen ermöglichten oder sich zur Fütterungszeit zu präsentieren etc. Was der Hintergrund seiner Taubheit war und wieviele taube Eisbären es gibt, konnte ich ebenfalls nicht herausfinden. Eine andere taube Eisbärin lebt in Maryland, Alaska, sie kam aus einem Zirkus.

This lady above is Jan Hatton Collins, not only caretaker of Klondike&Snow, but also in charge of Kavec, when he was in Denver. Kavec was deaf and had to have a special training to understand basic commands helping him to stay calm for medical exams or to present himself for feeding etc. I found nothing about the background of his deafness, nor something about other deaf polar bears, except of Alaska, a female deaf polar bear living in Maryland Zoo. She came from a circus.
Hier ein Foto von April 2009, ich hoffe sehr, dass es wirklich Kavec ist, denn es stand kein Name drunter...-
Here a photo taken in April this year in Tulsa, I really hope that it is Kavec as there was no name mentioned...

Farewell Kavec, RIP...

Related article: here
Photo credits: Tulsa Zoo (1) , Untamed Art at Tulsa Zoo(2), Cranbeary (3/Internet), Voda, Koda&Nuka (4), find here a very lovely slide show , Jan Hatton Collins(5), lollie.com (6)

Here a local site where comments and expressions of condolence can be left