Grizzly bears out of first hibernation
- EFN Staff | March 19, 2017
Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo (SFFP&Z) grizzly bears, Mistaya (miss‑TIE'‑yuh) and Koda (KOH' dah), have successfully completed their first hibernation (see attached pictures).
Mistaya and Koda started hibernating on December 5, 2016, and completed their hibernation on March 17, 2017.
"We monitored the bears throughout their first hibernation, gathering data that can be used in future research projects," said Tim Sinclair-Smith, Manager, SFFP&Z.
After just over three months of hibernation, the bears have lost some weight, but due to not hibernating for ten years, they still have considerable fat reserves. Mistaya and Koda will be offered small amounts of vegetables; the same food they would find in the wild after hibernation. Mistaya and Koda will return to the Kinsmen Grizzly Bear Exhibit this weekend.
Mistaya is the sole-surviving cub from Bear 66, a well-known female grizzly killed on the Canadian Pacific railway tracks in Banff National Park, in 2005. He stayed in the wild until it became clear that he could not survive without intervention.
Koda was orphaned that same year after his mother fled the den when a logging operation came through the Grand Prairie region. He was rescued and nurtured by zookeepers at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. The cubs were paired at the Calgary Zoo and later transferred to their permanent home at the SFFP&Z.
For more information on the SFFP&Z, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/zoo.