Orphaned Grizzly Cubs Rescued in Alaska Arrive at Detroit Zoo

Three orphaned grizzly bear cubs, rescued last month by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, touched down at Detroit Metro Airport around 5:15 a.m. Friday aboard a Federal Express aircraft out of Anchorage and arrived at  shortly after. 

“We’re just very excited because the cubs seem to be in good health and they’re very busy exploring their new environment,” said Ron Kagan, Detroit Zoological Society executive director. 

The 11-month-old brothers – named Mike, Thor and Boo by zookeepers at the Alaska Zoo, where they were temporarily housed – were orphaned in October when their mother was shot and killed following an encounter with a Wasilla resident. The cubs are approximately 2½-3 feet tall and weigh 100-125 pounds. They could grow as tall as 8 feet and weigh 800 pounds at maturity. 

After the mother grizzly bear was killed, the cubs were spotted in residential areas around Anchorage looking for food. The ADFG contacted the Detroit Zoo seeking a home for the trio after determining the cubs would not survive Alaska’s harsh winter on their own. A female grizzly bear typically cares for her young until they reach about 3 years old. 

The cubs will remain in quarantine at the Detroit Zoo for 30 days to ensure they have no health issues and to give them time to become acclimated to their new surroundings. Visitors can expect to see them in the bear habitats sometime around New Year’s. 

The Detroit Zoo is also home to two other rescued grizzly bears – 27-year-old female Kintla and 26-year-old Lakota – both of which arrived at the zoo as 2-year-olds.

For many years, the Detroit Zoological Society has helped rescue and provide sanctuary to animals in compromised situations. Among the 316 rescued animals at the Detroit Zoo are a polar bear from a South American circus, three lions from a junkyard in Kansas and hundreds of animals seized from a Texas exotic animal dealer in the largest animal confiscation in U.S. history. 

"We’re happy to be able to participate in another animal rescue and provide sanctuary to these cubs," Kagan said.

Source: The Detroit Zoo