The Louisville Zoo’s star polar bear Qannik could soon play an important role in the conservation of her species.
Qannik came to the Louisville Zoo in 2011 after being found separated from her mother in the far north of Alaska. Qannik’s wild-born origins make her an important player in the fight to save polar bears, which are classified as a vulnerable species .
There are only about 300 polar bears in captivity worldwide, and according to the zoo, “Qannik’s genes are not represented anywhere within the zoo population.”
The Louisville Zoo welcomed a new polar bear earlier this month, a male named Borealis, as part of a national cooperative breeding program. Unlike Qannik, “Bo” was born at the Toledo Zoo to parents also born in captivity.
It remains to be seen whether Qannik and Bo will parent any polar bear cubs, but if they do they’re certain to be just as cute as Qannik was when she came to Louisville from Alaska more than a decade ago.
