Zoo News: Luna the polar bear’s physical exam
Even polar bears at the Buffalo Zoo need a yearly checkup.
Luna, the Buffalo Zoo’s 12-year-old female polar bear, had her physical exam last week, giving the Zoo’s veterinary team the chance to get an up close look at her and ensure she’s in good health.
Physical exams are commonplace for animals at the Zoo, but a checkup for a 500-pound polar bear requires extra help and care. As a result, a team of roughly 20 Zoo staff came together to ensure things went as smoothly as possible. From monitoring heart rate and respiration levels to holding her paws to having all hands on deck to help shift Luna into the correct positions, physical exams of this magnitude are a total team effort.
The Zoo’s vet team began their various tasks after she was anesthetized, which included checking Luna’s legs, paws and joints, doing some dental work and also taking blood samples.
Additionally, Luna received a reproductive exam from staff at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW). The team at CREW focuses heavily on the reproductive health of female polar bears, with their research being used to benefit polar bears not just in zoos, but in the wild as well.
CREW staff members took biopsies and looked at ultrasounds of Luna to ensure that she is in good reproductive health. They will use that data to compare with other female polar bears that are both successful and unsuccessful in reproduction, which will allow for a more in depth understanding of the species and also promote polar bear conservation.
As one of under two dozens zoos in the United States with polar bears, caring for Luna and the Zoo’s male polar bear Sakari, and ensuring their health remains strong, is paramount. Polar bears are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with 26,000 estimated to be living around the globe.
The conservation and research work the Buffalo Zoo and CREW undertake all share the goal of augmenting the polar bear population, and gaining more vital data and information thanks to Luna will only supplement that goal.
We are happy to report that Luna’s physical exam revealed her to be in great health, and she is now back on exhibit daily.
