Sibling stars: Brother-sister duo Blizzard and Star make zoo debut after rescue

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This article was published 31/10/2014 (3464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Winnipeg has two furry new residents, and they’re both stars — one of them literally.

Blizzard and Star, orphaned brother-and-sister polar bear cubs, made their first public appearance at Assiniboine Park Zoo on Friday. At almost 11 months old and less than 150 pounds, they’re still tiny for polar bears, but they have big personalities.

“All animals, just like all people, have different personalities, and these are very wonderful little bears,” said Dr. Brian Joseph, director of zoological operations at the zoo. “They’re very confident, although (Blizzard)’s a little bit of a baby. He doesn’t mind pushing his sister around, but if his sister’s someplace he can’t see, he just cries like a little baby at Walmart.”

The pair came to the zoo a month ago, after being spotted wandering alone near the Hudson Bay coastline. Search efforts for their mother were unsuccessful, so they were rescued — and none too soon.

“They were being tracked by predators, by a male polar bear and by wolves,” said Joseph. He said their chances of survival in the wild as orphans were “zero per cent.” “They have no way of defending themselves or surviving on their own.”

Several families came out to meet the cubs.

“It’s fun to see them and to get to know their names,” said Winnipeg dad Joel Sawatsky. Sawatsky and his wife brought their children, Vincent, 3, and Nevica, nine months.

“(Vincent) came when Hudson (an older bear) first came out, and they’re the same age now. It’s just kind of been our adventure at the zoo.”

The cubs got their names from an online poll with more than 2,500 respondents. The zoo invited Winnipeggers to choose their favourites out of several names suggested by northern Manitoba schools (Gillam School, George Saunders Memorial School and Fox Lake School).

The zoo has four other polar bears (Hudson, Storm, Kaska and Aurora) all housed in the Journey to Churchill exhibit. The cubs will stay in a separate transition centre, the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, until spring and then move in with the other bears. Joseph said he expects the move to be smooth.

“They shouldn’t have any trouble at all,” he said. “We have a couple bears over there that are pretty much specialists in teaching other bears how to live, and so we look forward to a time when we can integrate them all together.”

Despite the high spirits that greeted the cubs, Joseph said it’s important to remember their arrival points to the battle polar bears as a species are struggling — and losing — against climate change.

“The arrival of cubs is not good news… we’d prefer that they live out there with their mothers,” he said. “At the same time, we recognize the opportunity by having cubs that can inspire people to care.

“It gives us the opportunity to tell a story.”

aiden.geary@freepress.mb.ca