A Silly Polar Bear Plays With a Stick #shorts

#polarbear #shorts #kpassionate
A young polar bear plays with a stick of bamboo. One of the challenges of caring for animals living under human care is finding different ways to engage and stimulate them mentally and physically. Staff biologists often spend hours planning and preparing enrichment methods. But sometimes, the most effective ideas are the simplest ones! This polar bear, named Laerke, spent hours playing with this stick of bamboo!

Shortly after birth, Laerke had a medical emergency that required constant, intensive lifesaving care from her animal care team. When she recovered, the mother did not recognize Laerke as her own. Laerke was raised in human care and then spent several months with Jebbie, an orphaned grizzly bear. Although polar bears are closely related to brown bears, they have evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. One of these adaptations is their paws. A polar bear's wide paws help prevent them from sinking into the snow by distributing their weight across the ice similar to a snowshoe for humans! They also have dense fur on the feet which help with traction on slick ice floes.

This polar bear is named Astra. She and and her sister Laerke were born in November 2020 to mother Suka and father Nuka at the Detroit Zoo. At their age of 2 years old, both are old enough to be living on their own in the wild. Both Astra and her sister are smart, high-energy bears who love to splash, pounce and play together in the water. Astra is very confident, independent, and inquisitive while Laerke is more cautious and gentle.

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