Detroit, Toledo zoos exchange male polar bears as part of breeding effort
The Detroit Zoo and the Toledo Zoo have exchanged the care of polar bears as part of an effort to support breeding populations among zoo habitats in North America.
With this exchange, a 13-year-old male polar bear named Kali is now under the care of the Detroit Zoo. And a 21-year-old male polar bear named Nuka is now under the care of the Toledo Zoo.
The move follows recommendations from the Polar Bear Population Alliance and supports breeding and population management across participating zoos, Toledo officials said.
In the wild, polar bears face growing threats to their habitat that include loss of sea ice.
Kali was an orphaned cub found in Alaska in 2013, intitially released to the care of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He was placed at the St. Louis Zoo in 2015 and at the Toledo Zoo in 2025.
Detroit Zoo officials said the plan is to introduce him to female bears Suka, 13, and Haley 23, who are in the Arctic Ring of Life habitat area.
Nuka had lived at the Detroit Zoo from 2011 to 2022, and then was moved to the Toledo Zoo in 2022 for breeding efforts with female polar bear Crystal. That match resulted in the birth of twin cubs, the Toledo Zoo said.
Nuka will live in the Arctic Encounter habitat and will be reintroduced to Crystal over time.