Louisville Polar Bear Returns
Louisville-born bear plays a role in international rescue mission

LOUISVILLE, KY -- DECEMBER 20, 2002 Aquila, a 1,000-pound, 10-year-old male Polar bear born at the Louisville Zoo in 1992, goes on display beginning December 20, giving Zoo visitors a different kind of white Christmas.  He has returned from his adopted home at the North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro NC) as part of an international effort to rescue seven Polar bears from unsuitable living conditions in Puerto Rico.  Aquila (named after a northern constellation in the Milky Way) was one of the popular triplets born at the Louisville Zoo.

Regular Polar Bear Enrichments Sessions available: Louisville Zoo visitors can enjoy meeting the Keepers and seeing Polar Bear Enrichment sessions throughout December Monday through Friday at 3:00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday and 11:30 am and 3:00 p.m. Aquila will be offered "fishcicles" and a
variety of bear "toys" to stimulate his curiosity and further help him adjust to his new surroundings.

Complications of an Animal Rescue: Aquila's return is part of a story that began more than a year and a half ago and it involved U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), five accredited zoos, Federal Express, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other concerned citizens -- including celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Pamela Anderson and Telemundo (U.S. Spanish Language TV Corporation in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) reporter Maria Celeste Arraras.

Seven performing Polar bears from Suarez Brothers Circus were discovered in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico in 113-degree heat in what was described as unacceptable conditions.  Dr. Carla Capalli of the Humane Society of Puerto Rico, one of the three veterinarians treating the bears, said, "They have been lying in excrement and mud, with stray dogs and cats around.  They're so lethargic, it's unnatural," she said.

Elaborate arrangements to confiscate, transport and relocate the bears to zoos accredited by the AZA were set in motion by the Department of Justice and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The AZA Bear Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) determined where the bears should be relocated ( a TAG is one of several AZA-sponsored committees that determine the best location for individual animals as well as what would be best for the captive population as a whole or for a particular group of animals sharing common characteristics).  Based on the personalities of the bears, four zoos were singled out as having the right conditions for housing the animals.

In March of 2002, the first female went to The Baltimore Zoo (Maryland) courtesy of American Airlines.  Then in November, Federal Express volunteered to transport the six remaining bears - saving the combined organizations an estimated $30,000.  At that point the remaining female went to the Detroit Zoo (Michigan) and two of the males went to Point Defiance Zoo (Tacoma, Washington).  North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro, North Carolina) was the desired site to comfortably house the three other males.

But there was a problem.  North Carolina had Aquila who experts doubted would ever be able to fit in with the three confiscated male bears who had been trained to work in tandem.  At this point U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked the Louisville Zoo to accept Aquila.  He arrived in Louisville without incident on November 13 and went through routine quarantine conditions, which is standard procedure for animals entering an accredited zoo.

Louisville Zoo Director William Foster said, "We are proud to be part of this effort where accredited zoos, wildlife organizations and corporate partners have worked cooperatively to secure the welfare of these confiscated animals."