THE INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE OF POLAR BEARS

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:00:00] Climate change is clearly affecting our weather patterns. The problem is some animals are adapted to a specific climate. Some only thrive in the cold, and I mean really cold. [00:00:11]

Peter Gros: [00:00:12] Animals living in the Arctic, for example, are used to being in temperatures sometimes getting as low as minus 40 degrees centigrade, and for months at a time. Much of this region is also locked in 24-hour darkness, nothing but frigid weather and brutal winds. [00:00:28]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:00:29] Sounds impossible to survive, right? Well, polar bears have evolved to thrive in this harsh environment. [00:00:36]

Nikki Smith: [00:00:37] So polar bears are actually clear. They're not white. The white fur is the way that our eyes perceive the light hitting the fur. So those longer guard hairs, which are what make a polar bear look so fluffy, those longer, guard hairs help insulate. So, they're so well adapted to live in their environment. [00:00:53]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:00:57] In today's episode, we're going to meet someone on a mission to protect polar bears living in the wild, and she's doing it in the most unexpected place. [00:01:05]

Peter Gros: [00:01:06] I'm Peter Gross, Wildlife Expert and Educator. [00:01:09]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:01:09] And I'm wildlife ecologist, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. And this is Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, The Podcast. Episode 11, The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears. [00:01:20]

Peter Gros: [00:01:31] Polar bears primarily live in the arctic regions of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. On the original Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom series, Marlon Perkins flew over the coast of Cape Churchill in Manitoba, Canada to observe them. [00:01:46]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:01:47] Polar bears gather there each year, waiting for the sea ice to form so they can hunt seals without entering the frigid waters. [00:01:53]

Marlin Perkins: [00:01:54] No trees are visible, and the air is clear and cold. We will decrease airspeed in lower altitude now to look for some bears. We soon see what was hidden from higher up, the polar bear. This big male is on a mantle of snow and ice not yet thick enough to properly support him, despite his broad, heavily furred feet. [00:02:19]

Peter Gros: [00:02:21] Rae and I went to Churchill ourselves to shoot two episodes for Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, one about polar bears and the other about beluga whales. [00:02:30]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:02:31] It was summertime, so the bears weren't on the ice hunting for seals. Instead, we found a mama bear and her little cub sunbathing on land. [00:02:39]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:02:40] Oh, I see it! Oh, my god! It's a good one. [00:02:42]

Peter Gros: [00:02:44] Ray and I have just spotted a polar bear mom and her cub with the help of veteran tracker Dennis Campere. [00:02:50]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:02:51] Oh, it's bear time, it is bear time. Our guest today is based far from Churchill, but she also spends a fair amount of time observing polar bears. [00:03:02]

Peter Gros: [00:03:02] Nikki Smith is curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio. [00:03:06]

Nikki Smith: [00:03:07] So my arrival in Columbus brought me face to face with the first bears that I have ever gotten to work with. And we are fortunate enough here to work with black bears, brown bears, and of course, polar bears. And they are all just incredibly wonderful for different reasons. But polar bears are truly, I think, one of the most amazing species that we have on our planet today, and that we have the ability to see at our zoos. [00:03:35]

Peter Gros: [00:03:36] I love how the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is designed to bring guests closer to the animals. One of my highlights when I was there was walking through a glass tunnel where if you [00:03:48]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:03:49] This was an incredible habitat. I can't imagine anybody having been in the water before and having polar bears swimming over their heads. [00:03:57]

Nikki Smith: [00:03:58] So our polar bear habitat is about an acre and a half or so. And our saltwater pool is 167,000 gallons where we have trout that swim in that pool along with the polar bears. Overall, it's just an engaging immersive experience. [00:04:14]

Peter Gros: [00:04:15] I just have to reiterate what an incredible display it is. Can you give us an idea what their daily life is like there at the zoo? [00:04:21]

Nikki Smith: [00:04:22] Yes, our bears have access to both their habitat and their building 24 hours a day. They have the choice to be either with each other out on the habitat, maybe take a break and come inside for the air conditioning. I will tell you that I feel like polar bears are the nosiest of the bears. They enjoy knowing what's going on, so they do like some of the higher perches in their exhibit because they like to see what's happening. So, if they hear us in the building, you can rest assured somebody's going to saunter in there and take a look, see what you're up to. [00:04:53]

Peter Gros: [00:04:54] So a great place to be if you are a polar bear, is the Columbus Zoo. Now you said our bears, where did the bears come from originally? [00:05:01]

Nikki Smith: [00:05:02] So the polar bears that are housed here at the zoo are part of the polar bear management group throughout AZA zoos. So, there are a number of zoos that house polar bears, and we are one of them. Right now, we have a male and a female and Lee who is our male and our female is Aurora and then she has been here at The Columbus Zoo since we opened our exhibit in 2009. So, she's been with us for a long time now. [00:05:26]

Peter Gros: [00:05:26] Is there something that struck you about the species physically or behaviorally that is unique to polar bears? [00:05:32]

Nikki Smith: [00:05:33] I think it is mostly that they're always watching you, even when you don't think they are. They are always aware of what's going on in their environment. We had a female that lived here for a while. Her name was Anana. She used to sneak up and hide in her pool and she would dip down in it. And if you walked over to say hi and she knew you were close enough, she enjoyed pouncing to try to get you wet. They're very perceptive animals, and I think they have to be. They live in an environment where if they miss an opportunity, that could have dire consequences for them. So, they are really just so smart and so perceptive. [00:06:11]

Peter Gros: [00:06:13] Speaking of being smart and having to survive in such severe climatic conditions, what sort of physical features help them survive? [00:06:20]

Nikki Smith: [00:06:21] They have very thick skin, and then they have a dual coat of fur. So, they've got an undercoat, and all polar bear hair is hollow, and it's air-filled. So polar bears are actually clear. They're not white. The white fur is the way that our eyes perceive the light hitting the fur. So those longer guard hairs, which are what make a polar bear look so fluffy, those longer card hairs help insulate. They've got those inner hairs to keep. Nice and tight together. They're not nearly as soft as you think they look. Their fur's quite coarse. And then they're able to gain quite a bit of weight to help them metabolically and insulate them through the winter. In their nose, they have a network of just different bony structures to help minimize heat loss when they're breathing in and out. So, they're so well adapted to live in their environment. Their fur is unable to have water freeze on it because of the oils. That they excrete and that is on their fur. [00:07:20]

Peter Gros: [00:07:21] Beyond their physical features, polar bears are incredibly determined hunters. Using their powerful sense of smell, they track seals beneath the ice. Polar bears can wait for hours, or even days, at a seal's breathing hole, relying on patience and instinct. But catching their prey isn't always guaranteed. They need good old, sturdy ice. [00:07:43]

Nikki Smith: [00:07:44] Polar bears rely on pack ice in order to hunt and catch the seals that they need in order to eat that blubber, have a high enough fat and calorie diet in order to put on the weight they need to survive in the harsh environment where they live. Polar bears are not great at swimming and catching food. It would be nearly impossible for them to swim and catch a seal, and it is difficult for them to swim to catch the fish, so. Energetically, they're putting out a lot of effort to catch those fish, and they're not getting a big return on it. Where a polar bear is so well adapted to just hang out on the ice, at a seal's breathing hole, and then that way, they are not expending energy. They wait for that seal to pop up and they are a bit of an ambush predator. So, I think what I love best about polar bears is that they are incredibly patient and incredibly intelligent. And I think. That makes such an awe-inspiring and deadly combination, which is what they need in order to survive. [00:08:43]

Peter Gros: [00:08:44] Animals are incredible at adapting, but with climate change, shifting seasons, and rising temperatures, polar bears are facing a serious threat. [00:08:52]

Nikki Smith: [00:08:53] We're losing little bits of time in the shoulder months. So, I think everyone can say like, wow, we never used to get this much rain in a certain month or it's hotter a little longer in the fall and hotter a little earlier in the spring. And it's not by much. But when you're a polar bear, 14 days to hunt can be life-changing for them. So, the sea ice is still forming. Is it as thick as it should be? Can a thousand-pound polar bear walk? Uninterrupted for the 10 miles that they need to walk to get to the next breathing hole that they wanted to stake out. These are the things that are important. We know the ice forms, but it's not as thick as it used to be. And when a polar bear needs to swim, we know that they're exerting more energy. [00:09:37]

Peter Gros: [00:09:39] As it turns out, when polar bears are at risk, the entire Arctic ecosystem is threatened. [00:09:45]

Nikki Smith: [00:09:46] Every other animal in the arctic depends on the polar bear. So, if hunting is good this year and I'm a polar bear and I catch 10 ringed seals, when I catch those seals the only thing that I'm going to consume from those as a polar bears is the fat layer and the rest is not what they prefer. So then that is when your arctic fox and your snowy isles and other animals that might come and have their big meals, and so that sustains them through the colder months. So, every animal up there truly relies on the polar bear for their sustenance, and if it's a great year for polar bears, it's a great year, for all of the other carnivores, and then that trickles down to the other animals. [00:10:31]

Peter Gros: [00:10:33] So, without a doubt, just the way nature works, all things in nature are connected. We just can't assume if you lose a species, it's not going to affect the entire rest of the natural world. Tell me a little bit about the research you're doing at the Zoo with polar bears. [00:10:44]

Nikki Smith: [00:10:45] It's a project where we're going to try to figure out how much a polar bear weighs simply from a picture. When you see a polar bears, it's not like you can ask them to stand on a scale. So, we are using the resources we have here in zoos. We can tell you what a polar bear weighs basically on almost any given day. I can have my bear come in and stand on the scale. I can also have her stand in places that are a known distance away from a fixed point so that we can take pictures. Get an outline of that polar bear's body, and compare that to the weight so that our counterparts that are working up there in the Arctic are able to take that and use it to figure out what a wild polar bear weighs, which is going to be an amazing way to judge their fitness. How are they doing as a species in a population? [00:11:31]

Peter Gros: [00:11:33] That's incredible. Tell me something, a real indicator of how comfortable an animal is in human care is reproduction. Tell me about the success you've all had with polar bears there. [00:11:43]

Nikki Smith: [00:11:44] You know, the most important thing for polar bears when they're breeding is that that female feels really secure and comfortable in her environment. It's also very important for her to gain just a ton of weight. But if she doesn't feel secure in her environment, that embryo won't implant. So, we have been incredibly fortunate to have five surviving polar bear cubs born here at the Columbus Siwan Aquarium. So, one of the coolest things I've ever seen with our very first polar bears, we had twins that were being cared for by Aurora. They are about the size of a box of butter. The one pound box of butter that you would pick up in the grocery store. That is how big a polar bear cub is. And mom is between eight and 900 pounds. So, she's massive and they're tiny. And to watch a female polar bear try to lay down next to her cubs is an acrobatic feat. It's amazing to watch. I think everything about watching those cubs grow and develop, Aurora's had Nora, which we stepped in to help hand raise. But the next year she had twins and was the greatest mom ever. And then a couple of years ago, she had a single cub and was an amazing mother to him as well. Our female Inanna that lived here for a number of years had a simple cub and she was I think probably the most comfortable polar bear with a cub I've ever seen. She would kind of walk away and leave the cub sitting near us. So, I always thought that was kind of a nod to how much she trusted the team that helped take care of her, that she was comfortable enough to walk into another room to get a drink, to have something to eat while one of us was sitting pretty close to her cub. Polar bear moms, they take mama bear to a level that you can't even imagine. They are always on the lookout for their babies. [00:13:36]

Peter Gros: [00:13:37] Well, we couldn't agree more. Nikki, you and the Columbus Zoo and the other AZA members are doing an incredible job. Thank you and please keep it up. [00:13:46]

Nikki Smith: [00:13:46] Thank you very much, Peter. It was great talking to you. [00:13:48]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:13:54] Now it's time for conservation connection. We know that the more we can connect with wildlife, the more likely we are to protect it. So today we want to share the story of two bears who were rescued after tragically losing their mother. [00:14:06]

Jennica King: [00:14:07] Their names are Tikhelma and Sama. They are the most beautiful, charismatic bears and you look into their eyes, and you fall in love with them. You can really feel that connection deep in your soul with these animals. [00:14:21]

Peter Gros: [00:14:22] Jennica King is the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. [00:14:29]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:14:30] In 2024, Tacoma and Selma were orphaned when their mother was killed in the Oregon wilderness. They were too young to survive on their own. They are a- [00:14:39]

Jennica King: [00:14:39] and sister, and they were estimated to be about three months old, about 8 to 10 pounds, and just unable to care for themselves without their mother there to care for them. [00:14:52]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:14:53] Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife agents rescued the cubs and soon identified a permanent home for them in Kansas, where the Sedgwick County Zoo has a North American prairie habitat just right for them. [00:15:04]

Jennica King: [00:15:05] So we brought them home to Wichita, Kansas, where they spent most of the summer acclimating to Kansas, to our weather, to our zoo, to their new zookeepers who are dedicated to caring for them around the clock, being bottle fed, and then slowly integrating solid foods. Their brother and sister, so they, you know, have been playing with each other. Since day one, they love to chase each other up the tree and knock each other out of the tree and see who can swim across the creek faster and get to the food faster. And so, it's just been such a delight to see these bears grow. Now they're about 38 and 40 pounds and they're just getting bigger and bigger by the day and really thriving in their new home. And we're able to give them a place where they can be the bears. That they were meant to be. I feel hopeful, not just for these two bears that would not have survived in the wild were it not for our teams working with these other institutions and organizations to save them. But I also feel hopeful that they are able to live at our zoo for the rest of their lives, build these connections within our community, And... Tell them the story of these bears in order to kind of give them a reason to care about conserving their habitats in the wild and giving them actions that they can easily carry out in their daily lives to promote conservation, not just for black bears, but for the entire North American wilderness. [00:16:52]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:16:56] What an incredible story. It's inspiring to see how zoos and conservationists step in to give orphaned cubs a second chance, not just to survive, but to thrive. [00:17:06]

Peter Gros: [00:17:13] Thank you for listening to this episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, The Podcast. And remember, if we protect wildlife and the environment today, we can ensure magical moments in the wild kingdom for future generations. [00:17:27]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:17:29] Join us next week when we explore the lives of one of the polar bear's Arctic neighbors, our beluga whales. [00:17:35]

Dr. Kristin Westdal: [00:17:36] And it felt like I was being drafted by these whales. Like I was paddling hard, but I was pulled through the water with them. And it sort of felt like, you know, I was one of the pod. And it was just this incredible experience. [00:17:48]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:17:49] That's next week on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, The Podcast. [00:17:53]

Peter Gros: [00:18:00] Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, The Podcast, is a production of Pineapple Street Studios and Mutual of Omaha. Our senior producer is Stephen Key. Producers are Elliot Adler and Jenny Van Soelen. [00:18:12]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:18:13] This episode was produced by associate producer Lisa Cerda. Editor is Darby Maloney. Executive producers are Barry Finkel, Gabrielle Lewis, and Jen Wulf. Pineapple's head of sound and engineering is Raj Makhija. Senior audio engineers are Marina Pais, Davy Sumner, Javi Cruces, and Pedro Alvira. This episode is mixed by Davy Somner. [00:18:38]

Peter Gros: [00:18:39] Production music courtesy of Epidemic Sound and Hearst Media Production Group. [00:18:42]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:18:43] Episode Clips, courtesy of Hearst Media Production Group. Marketing and promotion by Emily Poeschl. This podcast is hosted by me, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. [00:18:52]

Peter Gros: [00:18:54] Peter Gross, a special thanks to Katelyn Williams, Sophie Radmelamich, and Stephanie Diaz. [00:18:59]

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: [00:19:00] Today's episode is based on the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom series created by Don Meier. Our next episode will be out in a week. [00:19:07]

Peter Gros: [00:19:08] Make sure you listen on the Audacy app, or wherever you get your podcasts. [00:19:08]