It’s time for another update on the Scandinavian Wildlife Park, home of Ilka, the twins, and Siku.
Last time we checked in, Ilka had been separated from the twins as it was time for her cubs to be weaned and for her to get ready to mate again. We asked Janne Tofte, biologist at the SWP, to answer some questions we had about how things are going with this family.
1. Has Ilka adjusted to life without the twins? How are the twins doing?
Yes, Ilka has adjusted really well after we put a little more distance between her and the twins. She has now completely moved on. The twins have almost been fine with it from day one, and are doing great. They are completely ready to stand on their own four feet.
2. Has the male Ivan gone home yet and, if so, how did that process go?
Yes, Ivan has gone back to Copenhagen Zoo. In preparation of him leaving, we trained with him and taught him to go in to the transportation crate on his own. The day of the departure, he walked in and was ready to be loaded on to the truck in 30 seconds. He did really well on the trip home, and was very happy to see their female polar bear again.
3. Has Ilka joined Nanok (father of the twins) yet, or is that still to come?
Nanok joined Ilka in her enclosure a couple days ago and they were very happy to see each other and started to share polar bear kisses right away. We are excited to see if this will mean new cubs in November, but we won’t know before they are born.
4. How are Siku and the twins getting along?
Siku and the twins are only a year apart and get so much joy out of being in the same enclosure. So they are getting along beautifully – just as they have been doing all along.
Thanks very much to Janne and the SWP for their updates and for taking care of this great polar bear family. Please let us know if you have questions for them.
You can watch these polar bears play on the Siku & His Polar Bear Family Cam, with live viewing hours between 7:00 am and 9:00 am Eastern.
