Como Zoo welcomes 4-year-old polar bear Astra
There's a new bear in town, bringing the number of polar bears at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota, to four.
On Friday morning, zoo officials announced the arrival of 4-year-old Astra, who they hope will mate with Kulu, a 5-year-old male polar bear currently at the zoo, as part of a breeding effort to increase the population of the threatened species.
According to the zoo, Astra's move from the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, is part of a plan made by the Polar Bear Population Alliance and other organizations working to make a "sustainable and genetically diverse polar bear population in the United States."
Astra weighs 700 pounds, according to zoo officials, who add she is currently in a mandatory quarantine period in a holding area and an outdoor quarantine yard located behind the scenes. However, she'll be able to see, smell and vocalize with Kulu and two other polar bears currently at the zoo during the quarantine.
"The next few weeks will be focused on helping her settle in and feel comfortable in her new surroundings," said senior zookeeper Allison Jungheim. "Her genetics are valuable to the population, and we're optimistic that, in time, she and Kulu will form a strong bond that contributes to the sustainability of this threatened species."
While zoo officials hope to let her into the deep-water exhibit in Polar Bear Odyssey this weekend, it will depend on how she adjusts in the next few days. The Polar Bear Odyssey habitat has more than 13,000 square feet of outdoor space, a holding building that's more than 3,000 square feet in size, a cub den, pools, two habitat areas, natural daylight and more.
Her debut to the public hasn't been announced.