9.11.2020 by Molly Merrow
I visited Kulu at the Columbus Zoo on a beautiful sunny Sunday, very windy but the bears don’t care about that. I am happy to bring you this report of the only polar bear cub in a U.S. Zoo this year.
Kulu seems to be a happy little boy.
The bears of the Columbus Zoo have a spacious habitat of rolling green meadow and lots of tree trunks to climb on, with a comfortable cave that was Kulu’s father’s favorite spot, and a deep pool, often filled with trout, although there were no fish on Sunday.
Lee, Kulu’s father, has moved to another zoo.
Kulu is a very big boy for just 11 months old. There were no keepers or zoo volunteers around that day, so there was no one to ask, but he weighs a lot more than the average year old polar bear cub.
Kulu is round and fluffy and well padded.
He will celebrate his first birthday on November 28. His father Lee moved to another zoo several months ago, and the location is very hush hush, so although I know where he is, I cannot say.
Kulu is looking foward to his first birthday.
Kulu is the first cub fathered by Lee, but Kulu’s mother Aurora has a sister Anana, who is now denned up, possibly awaiting another birth behind the scenes at the Columbus Zoo.
Kulu and his mom.
Kulu is Aurora’s fourth cub. She gave birth to Nora in 2015, who was raised by keepers, and to twins Nuniq and Neva in 2016.
Aurora and her son Kulu play with a big barrel.
This young bear is very independent, and spends most of his time playing with his toys, running about and swimming on his own.
One of Kulu’s favorite toy at the moment his is fire hose cube, which he stalks, and pounces upon, and tosses around)
Sometimes he get together with his mom, and they play for awhile. Then he goes on his own way again.
Sometimes mom is a good playmate.
Kulu does like to use his mommy as a pillow when he takes a nap
Naptime
Aurora, who is 14 years old, plays with toys as much as Kulu does. These days she is especially fond of a purple crazy egg, but likes tossing around barrels too. The purple crazy egg is popular with Kulu too.
A favorite toy for mother and son.
The slanted beams of sunlight in early November sometime give a glow to the bears’ fur, lit from behind. Their fur is thick, getting ready for snow and cold coming in December.
Aurora and Kulu
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