Tag: Polar Bear

‘Ultimate polar bear plunge’ finally accomplished at Tacoma zoo

A polar bear at a Tacoma zoo thrilled guests recently when, for the first time, she leaped from her exhibit’s island platform into its saltwater pool.

Polar bear twins at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash., have been working up the nerve to leap from the exhibit’s island platform since they arrived in June.

This week, one of the bears, named Astra, accomplished the feat in a display of confidence and grace.

The accompanying footage shows the magnificent leap amid muffled cheers of guests watching from behind glass in an underwater viewing station.

The zoo stated via social media: “This was the first time she courageously dove off the island into her saltwater pool – making a beary big SPLASH! Astra and twin sister Laerke have been toying with the idea of leaping from the platform since arriving in June.”

After splashdown, Astra emerged directly in front of guests as if to gauge their response.

Apparently, they were impressed.

“She tucked her chin. Went headfirst. Perfect diving form,” reads one comment.

“A Perfect 10!” reads another.

Watch: Swimming polar bear a ‘beautiful sight’ to man passing in boat

A man in a boat returning to his remote village in Canada considered it a blessing to have witnessed the sighting. Viewers were in awe.

A man in a boat returning to his remote village in northern Quebec considered it a blessing to have witnessed a polar bear swimming offshore as night was falling Saturday.

The man from the Inuit village of Akulivik captured video of the encounter, and those who viewed the footage were awestruck by the sighting.

@xsupenook Sharingg what we saw last night #foryou #fyp #foryoupage #fypシ #xsupenook #polarbear ♬ original sound – XSupEnook

“Very blessed to have been given a beautiful sight,” the man wrote on TikTok. (Note: On some servers you’ll have to click the above link to view the video.)

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Among the comments on TikTok:

“So cool. Lucky you.”

“Absolutely amazing.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Wow! It’s once-in-a-lifetime experience, I’m sure! Just beautiful.”

Of course, there were also the obligatory comments about the polar bear being from the Coca-Cola commercial. More than one commenter asked if it offered him a Coca-Cola.

MORE:

Why young polar bear was ‘removed from the wild’ in Alaska

A young polar bear that had been spotted roaming alone near Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay will spend the rest of its life in captivity.

A young polar bear that had been roaming alone near Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay will spend the rest of its life in captivity.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explained that the bear was recently captured and transported to the Alaska Zoo because it had become accustomed to people and was deemed a public safety threat.

“The decision to remove this bear from the wild was not made lightly,” said David Gustine, lead biologist for the USFWS’ Polar Bear Program. “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.”

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The male cub is 10-11 months old. Its condition was described as “fair to good” despite a laceration on its upper lip.

“It had been observed eating a fox, lacerations on its upper lip are likely from that activity,” said Patrick Lampi, the Alaska Zoo’s executive director. “With rabies in fox prevalent in the Prudhoe Bay area, we have special extended quarantine procedures in place for this cub.”

It’s unclear where the bear will reside in the longterm, but the the USFWS stated: “Given the bear’s behavior around humans and its young age, it will not be returned to the wild.”

Polar bear cubs typically stay with their mothers for at least two years.

The last time a polar bear was removed from the wild in Alaska was in 2013. That male cub, orphaned in Point Lay, resides at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Polar Bears are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, primarily because of threats posed by vanishing sea ice due to climate change.

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