This month marks four years since central Ohio welcomed Nora the polar bear to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and three years since we last saw her play on the ice of Polar Frontier.
Since then, Nora has had quite the adventure. A team of conservation experts decided that the beloved Columbus bear should go live with another polar bear who recently lost a sibling and needed companionship, in Organ. Traveling 2,461 miles with a team from the Columbus Zoo to facilitate her transition, Nora arrived at the Oregon Zoo in September 2016.
There, Nora met the polar bear, Tasul, one of the oldest in captivity. Her care team had hoped that Nora, being only 1 year old at the time, could learn from Tasul. But sadly, soon after Nora’s arrival at the Oregon Zoo, Tasul passed away, leaving Nora the only polar bear there.
“Everyone who comes in contact with Nora falls in love with her immediately.” - Erica Hansen
As a result, the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan recommended Nora move to Utah’s Hogle Zoo in fall 2017. So, once again, Nora hit the road to make the much shorter trip (only 780 miles this time) to the Salt Lake City zoo, where she met Hope, another polar bear around her age. They instantly connected – perhaps because Hope is also an Ohio native, born at the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium.
“We were worried about (Nora) when she first moved here – worried at how she’d get along with Hope – but she’s been phenomenal from day one,” says Erica Hansen, community relations manager at Hogle Zoo. “The two bears get along really well; they love to wrestle and play.”
It should be no surprise to anyone who had the chance to see her at the Columbus Zoo that Nora quickly won over the hearts of the Hogle Zoo community. She now has adoring fans in the area and is known for hanging out in the water, where she’s closer to her visitors.
“Everyone who comes in contact with Nora falls in love with her immediately,” says Hansen. “She’s a very charismatic bear.”
Unfortunately, in late January of this year, Nora broke her humerus and had to undergo surgery. While the procedure went well, the next challenge was convincing such a playful bear to keep still so she could heal. She managed to settle down and has been healing well, recently returning back to the exhibit for a few hours at a time.
And with Nora’s species being endangered, it’s very important to keep her happy and healthy.
It’s not new information that polar bears have been directly impacted by climate change. Every year as our planet gets warmer, their icy home for hunting, resting and breeding diminishes, leaving their habitat fragmented.
With Nora out in her exhibit, she is not only bringing joy to her community, but is helping to promote conservation by serving as an ambassador for her species.
So, while it may be sad that we can no longer make the short trip to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to visit Nora, it’s nice to know that she is happy, healthy and doing her part to help preserve our planet.
Sara Dowler is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
