Orphaned polar bear is removed from wild in Alaska, officials say. ‘Rare decision’
An orphaned polar bear was “removed from the wild” in Alaska, wildlife officials said.
After the bear was spotted roaming alone on Nov. 24 in the Prudhoe Bay area, biologists went to observe the bear, a Dec. 21 release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
“The team, in consultation with the Alaska Zoo veterinarian, made the difficult and rare decision that the approximately 10 to 11-month-old male bear should be removed from the wild population,” the release said.
The bear had become accustomed to people, making it a public safety threat, the agency said.
“The decision to remove this bear from the wild was not made lightly,” David Gustine, lead biologist for the USFWS’ Polar Bear Program, said in the release. “Removing a bear is not a good outcome for the individual or the wild population, but we felt it was the best course of action in this situation.”
The bear was taken to the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage for care, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. Though a little underweight at 103 pounds, the bear is in “fair to good condition” with some small cuts on its upper lip.
“Our primary concern is for the wellbeing of the cub,” Alaska Zoo Executive Director Patrick Lampi said in the release.
The cuts on the bear’s upper lip are likely from eating a fox, Lampi said.
“With rabies in fox prevalent in the Prudhoe Bay area, we have special extended quarantine procedures in place for this cub,” Lampi said.
Visitors cannot see the polar bear at the Alaska Zoo, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials won’t approve viewings until they decide the bear is back to full health and it is “appropriate to the cub’s development.”
The bear’s long-term care will be decided at a later time, the agency said. However, based on the “bear’s behavior around humans and its young age, it will not be returned to the wild.”
Typically in the wild, polar bear cubs spend the first two and a half years of life with their mothers, according to the agency.
The last time a polar bear was removed from the wild was in 2013, according to the agency, when an orphaned male cub, Kali, was found in Point Lay. The bear was cared for at Alaska Zoo before finding a permanent home at the Saint Louis Zoo.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Orphaned polar bear is removed from wild in Alaska, officials say. ‘Rare decision’."
