polar bear is broken

**forestdale** · 03-04-2005, 07:05 PM

Two baby polar bear cubs were brought to Australia from Canada last year.  They live at the SeaWorld resort about 200 kms from here.  The cubs are twin brothers who were orphaned.  The enclosure they live in is excellent, even though I think that keeping wild animals captive is unethical, I doubt these baby boys would have survived alone in the wild.  Here is an exerpt from the seaworld site:

"2004: Polar Bear Shores

Sadly, Kanook, the Grand Duchess of Polar Bear Shores, passed away June 2004, leaving staff devastated by her loss, especially keepers who worked closely with her.

Kanook was diagnosed with kidney failure in April 2003 and was been treated with intermittent steroids which kept her in good general health. Just like people and other animals, the condition is not rare and an exact cause is unknown.

Ping Ping was returned to Beijing Zoo, China, in November 2004 where he was reunited with his mother and other companion bears.

Hudson and Nelson arrived at Sea World in November 2004 at the age of nine months to join young bears Lia and Lutik at Polar Bear Shores. They had been orphaned in the Canadian province of Quebec and had been taken in temporarily by Quebec Zoo who embarked on a world wide search for the most suitable home for the young cubs.

Sea World was chosen by an esteemed committee at the zoo for its technologically advanced exhibit and exceptional behaviourial enrichment program, features that have set benchmarks for Polar bears in human care around the world."

A couple of days ago one of the canadian boys broke his leg playing with his brother.  They said it sometimes happens in the wild and that that bear would then die.  So today they're putting the bear under anaesthetic and setting the leg.  He'll be separated from his brother (for two weeks) by a glass partition so they can still have visual contact but not be in physical contact. 

Polar bears are so awesome. They're powerful, savage and wild and yet they look so cute and cuddly.  I think it's a privilege for us to be able to see polar bears in Australia - they have an enclosure where you can watch them swimming underwater too. I hope this little bear is ok and that he recovers well.  I do know he's getting the best help available and that the staff at Seaworld look like they really love the animals they care for.

**Darlene** · 03-04-2005, 07:11 PM

I hope he heals well & leads a happy life. Well loved & taken care of.

**forestdale** · 03-04-2005, 07:12 PM

Here's a link to the polar bears site:
http://www.seaworld.com.au/polarbear...rs_default.cfm

**DaisyLady** · 03-04-2005, 07:23 PM

Rhonda,

My parents used to live in Churchill, Manitoba (before I was born) and my mom had a "pet" polar bear ie. one she was protecting and caring for until it could live in the wild. The Inuit people who had a settlement next to the base where my parents lived stole the bear from it's pen one night. To them the polar bear was fur, fuel and food. My mom was very upset but we still get a kick out of watching the old home movies of her "playing" with her polar bear.