Polar Bear Love
Love is in the air at the Buffalo Zoo’s Arctic Edge exhibit. The Zoo’s beloved polar bear, Luna, now has a mate: Sakari!
The people of Buffalo have watched Luna grow from a 30-pound cub to the 500 pound bear she is today. Now, Sakari, an almost 1000 pound, 5-year-old male polar bear born in the Toledo Zoo, is by her side in the exhibit. Polar bears have an incredible sense of smell, so both Sakari and Luna knew there was another bear around from the second Sakari arrived at the Zoo in November 2016. During a required separation period while Sakari got used to his new home, Sakari would peer over the wall at Luna - it was love at first sight! They quickly started interacting with each other through the small gaps in the door that separated the two bear exhibits, playfully pawing at the door and laying by it.
When finally introduced, the pair immediately started playing and interacting with each other. They are now inseparable and spend almost all their time together - even while sleeping! They are only apart briefly during feeding times, but even then they are anxious to get back together. When Luna and Sakari met, they were too young to mate, but enjoyed getting to know each other in this budding relationship!
Opened in September 2015, the Arctic Edge Exhibit spans 1.5 acres and was originally home to Luna the polar bear and her mother, Anana. The exhibit also houses Eurasian lynx, American bald eagles, and Arctic fox.
With less than 70 polar bears in human care in North America, it is important that zoos work together to save the species. Anana has been moved to another Zoo for breeding, while the Buffalo Zoo welcomed Sakari with the hopes of slowly familiarizing him with Luna and eventually, producing cubs. The $14 million Arctic Edge exhibit is designed specifically to accommodate and enhance the Zoo’s track record in breeding polar bears.
Sakari and Luna were part of a process similar to “matchmaking” known as a Species Survival Plan for polar bears. Through Species Survival Plans (SSP’s), professional advisers make pairing recommendations for certain species of animals, like polar bears, in accredited zoos to maintain genetic diversity and long-term population health.
You can visit Luna and Sakari to witness their romance yourself, along with their other arctic friends, at Arctic Edge. In January and February, the Zoo often has special activities featuring some of the arctic species. Learn more at https://buffalozoo.org/tickets. Open during regular Zoo hours, the Arctic Edge is free to visit with regular Zoo admission.
The Buffalo Zoo received $776,000 from an Environmental Protection Fund’s Parks grant in 2012 to help construct Arctic Edge. To learn more about Parks Grants and the types of projects funded, visit https://parks.ny.gov/grants/parks/default.aspx.