Toledoans who follow the Toledo Zoo closely have to be thrilled by the arrival of a new male polar bear in town.
It was only three years ago that the Zoo hosted the birth of two new polar bears, twins Kalik and Kallu.
Both were born to the now-26-year-old Crystal in 2022. They’ve since been relocated together to another big American zoo, the St. Louis Zoo, where we are told they have settled in nicely.
Toledo zoologists plan to try to get Crystal in the family way one more time.
Brought in to perform the male duty is a 12-year-old bear who is reported to bring fresh new genes to the gene pool.
The new male, Kali, is being introduced to Crystal by degrees, so they can smell and see each other before they attempt mating, away from the public’s prying eyes.
Their exhibit, called the Arctic Encounter, will reopen in the spring, which is not far away.
When the twins were born, Michael Frushour, the zoo’s curator of mammals, called them “ambassadors for their wild counterparts.”
He noted that the animals in captivity help the zoo educate the public about the critically endangered species.
Crystal has raised nine cubs in her lifetime, and Mr. Frushour said this will likely be her final breeding recommendation. She is expected to retire at the Toledo Zoo.
If this breeding is successful, Crystal would be one of the oldest polar bears to give birth. The cubs would stay at the Toledo Zoo with their mother for about two years and then may be relocated elsewhere for breeding.
Polar bears are a threatened species, thanks to melting sea ice, loss of food sources, and conflict with human populations.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says there are believed to be 23,000 of the animals in the world. According to the U.S. Geological Survey in 2016, the survival of the polar bear will likely require stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century.
It is much to the zoo’s credit that it plays such a determined part in adding to and widening the population of polar bears and attempting to maintain and extend genetic diversity.
First Published March 17, 2025, 4:00 a.m.
