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MEDIA
RELEASE
June 28, 2011
CONTACT: Kyle Shepherd
502-238-5331 (Media Cell 502-744-5639)
kyle.shepherd@louisvilleky.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 Qannik
arrives in Louisville
On UPS Boeing 747:
“Operation Snowflake” Update
(Louisville, KY) - Qannik, the Alaskan
orphaned polar bear cub, has reached her new home at the Louisville Zoo
in Kentucky thanks to UPS.
Qannik arrived in Louisville Tuesday, June 28,
2011 at 12:40 a.m. on a climate-controlled UPS Boeing 747-400 with an
entourage of animal experts from the Alaska and Louisville zoos who
cared for her during the six hour flight.
UPS Captain Edward Horne piloted the direct
flight from Alaska along with First Officer Wayne Jackson and escort
Captain Steve Jennings. UPS has flown similarly precious cargo before.
“Flying a 5-month-old polar bear across the country really isn't too
complicated for UPS,” said Scott DePaepe, the UPS Alaska logistics
coordinator. “We've moved whale sharks, we've moved pandas, and we’ve
moved the Terra Cotta warriors. It’s all about logistics."
 Qannik’s
crate was loaded onto the 747 just prior to departure in Anchorage to
minimize her wait time, and she was the first off the plane in
Louisville. One of the Louisville Zoo Veterenarians, Dr. Zoli Gymesi,
and Louisville Zoo Assistant Mammal Curator Jane Anne Franklin had
continuous in-flight access to Qannik. Dr. Gymesi remarked, ”Qannik had
a quiet flight. She appeared comfortable and restful.” Franklin fed
Qannik special frozen formula pops that the Alaska Zoo Animal Curator
Shannon Jensen had prepared and her cabin temperature was chilled to
between 58 and 60 degrees. “She was a great traveler,” Franklin adds.
Once she arrived in Louisville, she was transported in a
climate-controlled vehicle accompanied by a back-up vehicle and
security.
The polar bear cub now goes into a standard
period of quarantine where she will be off exhibit while she adjusts to
her new surroundings. “We have a nice temperature-controlled bedroom
facility where she can acclimate, and she has access to chilled pools so
she can learn to swim in baby steps,” describes Louisville Zoo Director
John Walczak. “We’re looking at everything and taking it one step at a
time making sure she has what she needs to enrich her life.” Her
progress will be updated on the Louisville Zoo’s website at
www.louisvillezoo.org and via the Zoo’s official Facebook and
Twitter pages (@QannikTheCubLZ). You can follow Operation Snowflake at #operationsnowflake.
The Alaska Zoo had a special event Friday to
let fans say goodbye to the polar bear cub that won so many hearts. “We
will miss her, but we know that she’s found a good home at the
Louisville Zoo and Glacier Run,” said Pat Lampi, Director of the Alaska
Zoo, who has been one of her caregivers the last few months. The
Louisville team went to Anchorage late last week to ensure a smooth
transition and spent the last four days gathering vital health,
behavioral and diet information. The team also got acquainted with
Qannik’s vibrant personality a little bit and according to Walczak,
“She’s in great shape thanks to Pat and his team at the Alaska Zoo.“
Operation Snowflake is the product of a
two-month collaboration between the Alaska Zoo and Louisville Zoo, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA),
Polar Bears International (PBI) and UPS.
Qannik received national attention when she was
found on Alaska’s North Slope in April by employees of ConocoPhillips.
Qannik means “snowflake” in the Iņupiat language and is also the name of
the oil field where she was found.
Qannik was born last January in a
snow-den her mother dug to protect her from the fury of the Arctic
Alaskan winter. She was first spotted on Alaska’s North Slope in
February of this year with her mother and sibling. Researchers with the
U.S. Geological Survey placed a radio monitoring collar on the mother
and were tracking her and the two cubs before the collar slipped off.
In late April, Qannik was spotted again, this time alone. An
unsuccessful aerial search was conducted to locate the mother. It is
unknown why Qannik was separated from her mother and sibling but
eventually the cub was again sighted near the ConocoPhillips site where
she was rescued.
The bear habitat of Glacier Run, the Louisville
Zoo’s newest exhibit, will be Qannik’s new home. It opened in April 2011
and shows the Zoo’s commitment to the species in both the facility
design and programming. The Louisville Zoo worked closely with Polar
Bears International, the leading authority on polar bear conservation
and education, in the process of designing and building Glacier Run.
Through this partnership the Zoo has been designated as an Arctic
Ambassador Center.
Designed as an imaginary town on the edge of
the arctic wilderness, Glacier Run is a four-acre exhibit modeled after
Churchill, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world and a place where
humans are learning to co-exist with wildlife. The exhibit offers
spectacular views, captivating stories of the arctic and unique
opportunities for close-up encounters with the magnificent and iconic
polar bear, as well as grizzly bears, seals and sea lions. Guests can
interact with zoo keepers, learn about current challenges to arctic
environments and animals, and discover how incremental changes in our
everyday activities and behaviors can make a difference for our planet
and these magnificent species.
Glacier Run is now home to Arki, a
26 year-old polar bear who came to Louisville from the Brookfield Zoo in
Chicago, and a family of three grizzly bears — 6 year-old Inga and her
twin year-old cubs, Otis and Rita. The grizzlies were brought here from
Polson Montana after being removed from the remnant wild because they
were raiding chicken coops and were considered nuisance bears, thus at
risk of being euthanized. Zoo keepers have worked with these wild-born
bears with great success since they came to Louisville in August 2010.
***
The
Louisville Zoo, a non-profit organization and state zoo of Kentucky,
is dedicated to bettering the bond between people and our planet by
providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for
visitors, and leadership in scientific research and conservation
education. The Zoo is accredited by the American Association of
Museums (AAM) and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
***
Follow Qannik’s
progress by becoming a friend/fan of the Louisville Zoo on
Facebook and
Twitter at @QannikTheCubLZ. You can follow Operations Snowflake at #operationsnowflake
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