Polar bear and Mexican gray wolves making debuts at Brookfield Zoo
Three ladies are making their debut at the newly reopened Brookfield Zoo, and they don’t mind the weather a bit.
Hope, a 5-year-old polar bear, and mother/daughter Mexican gray wolves Sibi and 2-year-old Lorena, have been hanging out at the zoo for a few weeks now, but this is the first zoo members and visitors will be able to see them.
As it was before the recent two-month closing, the zoo’s indoor buildings are temporarily closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the outside exhibits are open, and the animals, at least in Monday’s 30-degree weather, were out in full force, soaking up the rays and enjoying the calm, cold weather.
Some of the animals recently experienced what may have been their first big snowstorms.
“As the temperatures rise, the animals want to have access to the outdoor habitats. (The other day) the rhino was just racing around the yard and splashing, and rolling around in it, and it was so fun to see the energy, thinking ‘this is a different texture,’” said Leah Rippe, vice president of marketing and communications for the zoo.
Rippe said it was similar to when a dog gets “the zoomies” and just runs around.
Hope, the new polar bear, is obviously accustomed to the cold. On Monday, Hudson, Brookfield Zoo’s male polar bear, could be heard calling to Hope. The goal is for these two to mate, when they are ready. “There’s a very thoughtful introduction process between the male and female polar bears. When the timing is right we can open up the door and they can have a date,” said Tim Sullivan, curator of animal husbandry. He has worked at the zoo for 41 years.
For now, Hope is getting to know the three polar bear habitats, to see which area she prefers, which will be the best place for them to meet. When she is ready to breed, the zoo staff will know, as their behavior will change.
As a species, polar bears are currently threatened. “Polar bears are the greatest indicator of the negative effects of climate change. They need seals to eat, and to get to them they need packed ice,” Sullivan said. The polar bear mating plan, in coordination with other zoos, has become more important in the
last 10-15 years as the polar bear population plummets in the wild.
Brookfield Zoo has always had great success with polar bear mating, Sullivan said.
“Because of the great care (at the zoo), they get the best of everything,” and have long lives, he said.
One of the ways zoo staff challenges the bears is through enrichment programs, which keep the animals physically and mentally sharp. An example is “foraging for food,” Sullivan said. Animals have developed senses to find food in the wild so the zoo creates these conditions in several ways. Timed feeders put food in the habitat, so the animals can use their sense of smell and eyesight to find it. Sometimes, food is in a package they have to open up with their claws and teeth.
“We have to make sure they don’t become couch potatoes. We used to give them food in a pan, but now we want them to work for their food,” Sullivan said.
Zoo staff also do preference studies to find out what part of their diet is most important to them and then they can strategically put that out. “Some of the stuff they enjoy in the wild is really hard to get,” so the zoo works to replicate those conditions, Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, in Regenstein Wolf Woods, the Mexican gray wolves are settling into their new home. The habitat features a “nice mound the wolves use to get a nice view for finding prey and avoiding getting into trouble with other animals in the wild,” Sullivan said.
The wolves are part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Mexican Gray Wolf Rescue and Rehabilitation Program, a complex scientific plan with zoos and other managed facilities all over North America to restore the population of the Mexican gray wolf. “Back in the ‘70s there were just seven animals left in the wild,” Sullivan said. Now there are 200, which are constantly monitored for optimal breeding conditions and genetic diversity.
“The idea is we help bring more animals back in the wild by doing some select breeding” in a species survival plan, Sullivan said. Animals are matched by scientists studying genetics and other factors, and then nudged together for breeding both in the wild and in facilities. The aim is to increase the population of these wolves, not just in zoos but also in the wild.
Because wolves move between the wild and facilities like zoos, the Brookfield Zoo staff “manages these animals as wild wolves,” Sullivan said. This means they have very limited human interaction and can only even see people from certain areas.
“Wolves keep the environment healthy for all animals,” Sullivan said. “Yellowstone took out their wolves years ago … As that population grew back, the entire landscape changed — creating a balance, and restoring diversity in plants and animals. Apex predators like wolves are extremely important.”
The flexible habitat can house as many as 10, or as few as two wolves.
Although there is a lot of interesting science behind the scenes, Sullivan said, “we want people to appreciate the animals. To care about them, you need to have some empathy, so you need to be able to see them in a wonderful habitat like this.”