Orphaned Grizzly Bear Cubs Get New Home In Detroit
It was certainly a special delivery: Three orphaned grizzly bear cubs, rescued last month by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, touched down at 5;15 a.m. Friday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport aboard a Federal Express aircraft out of Anchorage. Shortly after, they arrived at their new home at the Detroit Zoo.
"We're just very excited because the cubs seem to be in good health and they're very busy exploring their new environment," said Ron Kagan, Detroit Zoological Society executive director.
The 11-month-old brothers – named Mike, Thor and Boo by zookeepers at the Alaska Zoo where they were temporarily housed – were orphaned in October when their mother was shot and killed following an encounter with a Wasilla resident. The cubs are approximately 2½ to 3 feet tall and weigh 100 to 125 pounds. They could grow as tall as 8 feet and weigh 800 pounds at maturity, zoo staff said.
After the mother grizzly bear was killed, the cubs were spotted in residential areas around Anchorage looking for food. The ADFG contacted the Detroit Zoo seeking a home for the trio after determining that the cubs would not survive Alaska's harsh winter on their own. A female grizzly bear typically cares for her young until they reach about 3 years old.
The cubs will remain in quarantine at the Detroit Zoo for 30 days to ensure they have no health issues and to give them time to become acclimated to their new surroundings. Visitors can expect to see them in the bear habitats sometime around New Year's.
If you want to see them for yourself after they're ready, The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day).
