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Luna, at 2 months (left) & 3 months (right) Buffalo Zoo Photo. Larger photos at the bottom of this page

Zoo Unveils Polar Bear Pictures, Fundraising Campaign



(WBEN) The Buffalo Zoo Friday unveiled pictures of their newborn Polar Bear for the first time Friday , in hopes of getting support for a $4 million  fundraising campaign to keep it - and the other polar bears in Buffalo - with a new habitat.
 
WBEN EXTRA: See The Larger Size "Awwww!"- Inspiring Photos Below 
At Two Months  &  At Three Months  See Also:  "Luna" Fact Sheet

Luna was born in late November of last year,  one of only three Polar Bears born in American zoos during the entire year.

Arctic-Edge-MapIn 2010, the Erie County legislature passed emergency funding for the zoo, to upgrade the polar bear habitat to standards that would allow them to keep the bears.   Since then they have raised $14 million in corporate and charity donations for a new 1.5 acre habitat.

"If fundraising for the Arctic Edge exhibit (left) is not complete as scheduled, she may have to move to another Zoo that has an exhibit which meets the new standards adopted by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) until the Arctic Edge exhibit is built.,"  the zoo staff said in a fact sheet on the bear birth (below) .

The Buffalo Zoo will hold a contest so the community can help come up  with her official name. Keepers at the Buffalo Zoo nicknamed her Luna, because she was born on the night of a full moon!

Birth: She was born on November 27, 2012 at 11:00 p.m.  She weighed 1 lb, 8oz when she was born, and was 10 inches long from her nose to the base of her tail.

Parents: Father Nanuq currently resides at the Columbus Zoo. Her mother, Anana, is at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago, IL.

Handraising: She has been raised by the Buffalo Zoo’s veterinary technician, Alice Rohauer, with help from the keeper staff.

Public Viewing: The cub is still too small to be in an exhibit at the Zoo on her own.

Visitors will be able to see her in her nursery on closed circuit television in the Zoo’s M&T Bank Rainforest Falls, provided by Synacom Networks, Inc. Viewing times will take place from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The Zoo will also share videos online on their Facebook and YouTube pages.

The Cub’s Future: The Buffalo Zoo hopes to be able to keep our bear in Buffalo. If fundraising for the Arctic Edge exhibit is not complete as scheduled, she may have to move to another Zoo that has an exhibit which meets the new standards adopted by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
until the Arctic Edge exhibit is built.

A Remarkable Event: There were only two polar bear births in Zoos in North America this year: our cub and a set of twin cubs at the Toldeo Zoo
 

Buffalo Zoo Polar Bear at 3 months:


Buffalo Zoo Polar Bear at 2 months


Filed Under :  
Topics : Human Interest
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Locations : BuffaloChicagoErie CountyIllinois
People : Alice RohauerAnanaLunaPolar Bears
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