Polar Bear Cub Meets Adoring Fans in Buffalo
Published on November 26, 2013
She may look like a teddy bear, but the Buffalo Zoo’s 4-month-old polar bear cub really is this cute.
The cub, who was born on Nov. 27 at the Buffalo Zoo, was introduced to the public this month as the next phase of fund-raising for a new polar bear exhibit was announced.
Still too small to go on exhibit, the baby bear was born to mom Anana and dad Nanuq, but this little girl has been hand-raised by a veterinary technician and keepers at the zoo.
Although the cub hasn’t officially been named yet, her keepers have nicknamed her Luna because she was born on a night with a full moon.
The zoo is hoping that seeing the adorable cub will inspire more local residents to donate to their campaign to complete the $18 million, 60,000-square-foot Arctic Edge exhibit for the zoo’s polar bears. The “Bear Necessities” aims to raise the final $14 million that’s needed to finish the project.
Now they have even more of a need for it because Luna has a friend on the way!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that Kali, an orphaned polar bear cub who was found in Alaska, will be moving to Buffalo, where the two cubs can keep each other company. Kali (pronounced cully) is a male who’s about the same age as Luna.
He’s being cared for at the Alaska Zoo for now, but because the zoo already has two adult polar bears, plans are being made to transport him to the Buffalo Zoo in the spring.
“Both cubs will benefit immensely from the opportunity to play with one another to ensure that they learn to be bears and not become too attached to human caretakers,” said the Buffalo Zoo’s director, Dr. Donna Fernandes.
Kali’s final destination may wind up being the St. Louis Zoo, but for now, we’ll look forward to seeing these two babies romping around together in New York! Below, check out the video of little Luna playing in the snow.