Humphrey off to meet his brother, Hudson
Zoo’s beloved polar bear cub leaving Toronto for Winnipeg
Two Toronto polar bear brothers will be meeting for the first time in Winnipeg.
The Toronto Zoo confirmed that Humphrey, a one-year-old polar bear, will be shipping off to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo after the Family Day weekend.
The zoo said the move is the important next step in his development — in Winnipeg, he will learn to socialize with other polar bears.
Humphrey is following the path of his older brother, Hudson, who was also moved to Assiniboine Park Zoo after being born and raised in Toronto. Humphrey and Hudson, born two years apart, are both lone survivors from litters of three. Humphrey, born in November 2013, was moved to the intensive care unit of the Toronto Zoo’s Wildlife Health Centre after staff noticed that two of his siblings had died. The surviving cub, which only weighed about1.5 lbs., was weak. After intense around-the-clock care, including being fed milk six times a day and exercised, Humphrey was soon rolling around and able to stand on all four paws. By the time he turned one, he weighed 216 lbs.
Two years earlier, in 2011, mother bear Aurora gave had given birth to three cubs, then but attacked them the day after. The lone surviving cub, Hudson, was moved to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo a year later.
The move to Winnipeg will mean a new start for the young polar bear that has gotten used to soaking up attention in Toronto.
Humphrey made headlines after an incident at the Toronto Zoo last May. A couple of teenagers thought the cub looked lonely, and posted a video to YouTube showing two high school students jumping a barrier and reaching through a wire fence to get closer to him. In the video, Hum- phrey tries to lick them.
Last year, more than 14,000 people took part in the Toronto Zoo’s naming contest for the young polar bear. Humphrey emerged the winner in a list of possible names that included Lorek, Orson and James.
The Toronto Zoo will be offering polar-bear themed activities leading up to Humphrey’s departure, including polar-bear keeper talks. The last confirmed chance to see Humphrey in Toronto will be Feb. 16.
“We wish him all the best in his new home!” the zoo notes on its website. With files from Katelyn Verstraten, Andrew Nguyen, Leslie Armstrong and Diana Hall