13.1.2025 – Story and most photos by Molly Merrow (special photo by the Louisville Zoo)
It’s been a big week for wildborn polar bear girl Qannik of the Louisville Zoo. First there was the big birthday party to celebrate Qannik’s 14th birthday, with a dating app theme, considering her new boyfriend Borealis.
Qannik with the dating app 🙂
The birthday girl got a new giant pickle and lots of treats, including her favorite frozen pumpkin and a knuckle bone to chew on.
Her fans gathered around the window to sing Happy Birthday. Meanwhile, across the way, young Bo was not invited to the party. His time would come later in the week and Qannik’s life was about to change.
No one knows Qannik’s real birthday, because she was born on the North Slope of Alaska, and separated from her mother and sister by a terrible storm. In April of 2011, Qannik was found alone and starving, and taken to the Alaska Zoo, where she recovered. That summer, she was flown to the Louisville Zoo, where she has lived ever since, near other polar bears, but never with them. As a rescued bear cub, she was property of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, and could not be part of the breeding program. A year ago, that all changed. She was about to become a very eligible Polar Bear Bachelorette.
Last year a waiver for Qannik was approved, and young Bo came to live in Louisville in February of 2024. Bo was eager to meet his new friend, but Qannik was wary, so everyone gave her some time to adjust to the idea. A lot of time, knowing that she would be more receptive during breeding season. In the meantime, they got to know each other through the “howdy gate.”
While Qannik had lived her life alone, always a single girl, never having to share space with another bear, Bo had always had female company, first his mother Crystal in the Toledo Zoo, and then older lady bear Berit at the Henry Vilas Zoo.
So this week, in the early hours of the morning before the zoo opened, Qannik and 6 year old Borealis were finally introduced and shared the same space. It all went very well, and the zoo posted a photo of the two sweethearts together (Photo by the Louisville Zoo).
Breeding season has just started, and if all goes well, we might even have some cubs in Louisville next fall. While Bo comes from a family with many relatives, Qannik’s genes are wild and unique, so very valuable.
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