The brown bears of Russia’s Kamchatka Pennisula are among the largest in the world. Also known as “grizzlies,” a male may reach 1,300 pounds and ten feet tall. They feast on the rich salmon found in the coastal waters and streams. Built for the snow and cold, these bears are the same species as those found in the United States. Although the number of bears in Kamchatka is the highest in the world, the poaching of bears and the salmon they eat could threaten their future.

Fun Facts

• Brown bears and polar bears are tied as the world’s largest land-dwelling meat eaters. In America we call the large ones grizzlies. In Russia, they’re called Burii Medved.
• Grizzlies technically don’t hibernate. They do sleep through most of the winter, but can be awakened.
• Brown bears are omnivores - they eat plants and animals. They eat about 25 to 35 pounds of food each day.
• Bears, like people, walk on their entire foot, not on their toes like cats or dogs. They are pigeon toed.
• A grizzly can kill a cow with one blow, outrun a horse, and drag a dead elk uphill.
• Kamchatka’s bears put on up to 400 pounds of insulation each summer so they can survive winter with a six-inch layer of fat.

Meet the Bears
In the spring and summer of 2006, the Minnesota Zoo acquired three orphaned bear cubs in Alaska. They stayed at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Portage Glacier until April of 2008, when they came to the Minnesota Zoo.

Sadie
Found near a landfill in Kotzebue, Alaska, Sadie was rescued by the local Department of Fish and Game in June, 2006. Officials named her after Sadie Creek, near where she was orphaned, and transferred her to the AWCC. Sadie is the smallest of the Zoo’s three bears with the lightest fur. She is also the most inquisitive of the group.

"Sadie" Summer 2006. Photo by Doug Lindstrand.

Sadie enjoying a snack, December 2007. Photo courtesy Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC)

Watch a video clip of "Sadie"

Haines
A second bear cub, “Haines,” was found in July, 2006 and is nearly the same age as Sadie. This orphan received his name after he was found roaming the porches and yards around the town of Haines, Alaska. Haines is a very large bear with a calm and easy-going disposition. He has the darkest fur of the three bears.

"Haines" Photo by Michelle Brandstedter.

Haines is getting really big! December 2007. Photo courtesy AWCC

Kenai
In September, 2006, “Kenai” was found orphaned along the coast near Seward, Alaska and joined Sadie and Haines shortly after he was found. Kenai is smaller than Haines and appears to have the “fluffiest” fur. He is the most submissive of the group, known as curious and shy, but enjoys joining his adopted brother in daily wrestling matches.

Kenai sporting his "fluffy" winter fur. December, 2007. Photo courtesy AWCC

 

Playful and fun to watch, sea otters are uniquely adapted to living year-round in cold ocean waters. They survive the cold and wet with dense fur and active lives fueled by large amounts of seafood. The sea otter is the smallest marine mammal in the Northern Hemisphere. They are members of the weasel family and are related to the mink, fisher and river otters. Almost extinct from overhunting by 1911, some sea otter populations are recovering, but poaching, overfishing, and oil spills still threaten the species.

Fun Facts

• Sea otters have the thickest fur of any marine mammal, averaging 850,000 to 1,000,000 per square inch!
• Sea otters are the only marine mammals that do not have blubber to keep them warm.
• Sea otters can see above and below the water just like a dolphin.
• Sea otters are the only marine mammals to use tools. They lie on their backs, place a small rock on their chests, and hit the clam or abalone on the rock.
• Adult sea otters can eat 25% to 30% of their body weight in a day!
• Sea otters can dive up to 330 feet.

Meet the Otters
Four playful and inquisitive sea otters will inhabit Russia's Grizzly Coast; three were orphaned in Alaska.

Capers
In the spring of 2006, a sea otter pup was found alone in Kachemak Bay, Alaska after his mother was found deceased nearby. Named “Capers,” he was transported to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward where he was cared for until he was transferred to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and later to the Minnesota Zoo.

"Capers" the sea otter at only two weeks old—June 2006. Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.
click to enlarge +

Watch video clip of Capers (from July 2006)

Learn more about Capers

Jasper
In July, 2007 a male sea otter pup was also found alone in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Named “Jasper,” he was picked up and delivered to the Alaska SeaLife Center where he was cared for until he came to the Minnesota Zoo.

Rocky
Found on July 31, 2007 near Craig, Alaska, “Rocky” was transported to the Alaska SeaLife Center where was cared for until he was transferred to the Minnesota Zoo with Jasper in August.

Kachemak
A female otter called “Kachemak” came to the Minnesota Zoo from the Shedd Aquarium to provide the young orphans an adult otter to befriend and to teach them how to be otters.

Watch a video clips of Rocky and Jasper.

 

Amur Leopards

Fewer than 30 Amur leopards remain in the wild, found only in a small pocket at the southern tip of Russia's Pacific coast. They live further north than any other leopard subspecies and need large amounts of prey and a substantial wild range. They rely mostly on small deer for food. This beautiful cat is on the brink of extinction but recent public campaigns have saved their last refuge with hopes that leopards may be reintroduced into protected habitats.

Fun Facts

• The Amur leopard gets its name from the 2,700 mile-long Amur River in Asia.
• Leopards are generally solitary, except for breeding and rearing cubs.
• Amur leopards have longer legs and longer hair which allows them to survive in cold, snowy climates.
• Amur leopards are excellent climbers, and spend most of their time sleeping and eating on rocky ledges far above the ground.
• Amur leopards, pound for pound, are considered the strongest of all cats.
• People who live among leopards refer to them as “ghosts that walk.”
• The Minnesota Zoo is a member of the Amur Leopard Conservation Initiative, providing significant support to the protection of this rare and beautiful animal.

Meet the Leopards
The Minnesota Zoo acquired two Amur leopards from the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans. Sisters, they were born in October 2006 and are called “Katya” and “Polina.” They are genetically valuable with direct links to wild leopards—their great grandparents (via the sire's line) were from Russia and North Korea.

The Zoo obtained a third female leopard from the Mulhouse Zoo and Botanical Gardens in France. Called “Okha,” this leopard is two years old. The Minnesota Zoo is working with European zoos on breeding Amur leopards in order to maintain genetic variability for the long-term survival of this rare species.

 

 

 

 

Wild Boars
Native to Eurasia and now found around the world, wild boars are very adaptable. Boars eat almost anything, including nuts, berries, carrion, roots, and trash. Such a wide range of food sources has enabled wild boars to thrive in a variety of environments, but are most often found in forests and woods. In Russia's Far East, boars grow especially big, mostly because of the availability of large and nutritious pine nuts.

Fun Facts

• Wild boars are the ancestors of domestic pigs.
• Wild boars range in size from 90-700 pounds and are 3-6.5 feet in length.
• Social animals, they live in small groups called “sounders” or “drifts,” usually of 20 animals, but groups of 50 have been observed.
• Both males and females have tusks, although they are smaller in females.
• Wild boars have a good sense of smell which allows them to find underground food. They have poor eyesight, but excellent hearing.
• Hair from the neck area of the boar was commonly used to make toothbrushes before synthetic materials were introduced in the 1930s.

Meet the Boars
A pair of wild boars called “Boris and “Natasha”, along with their eight offspring, will be on exhibit at Russia's Grizzly Coast. Many animals called “wild boar” in North America, including farms in Wisconsin, have interbred with domestic pigs and are not quite the same as the true sus scrofa. The animals at the Minnesota Zoo are known to have descended directly from stock in Russia and are therefore true examples of wild boars. 13000 ZOO