12.2.2021 by Molly Merrow
A patient mother, a gentle bear. Olinka is being remember with much love.
She died at Rotterdam Zoo on Tuesday, February 9, following a decline in her health in the past few months. She was put under anesthesia, and it was found that she had advanced liver and kidney disease, and a very large liver tumor, so it was decided the kindest thing would be to let her go. She had just turned 28 in November.
Olinka was born November 21, 1992, in Cologne, Germany. Her mother was Olga, and her father was American born Omaha. She was the only cub fathered by Omaha, and she has American cousins. Her mother Olga went on to give birth to Felix and Nord, fathered by Eric, who was also the father of all eight of Olinka’s cubs.
Unlike many polar bear cubs, Olinka stayed with her mother Olga for many years, sometimes moving away, but then returning to Vienna and her mother and Eric.
Through the years, Olinka lived in Vienna, Bremerhaven, Gelsenkirchen, and finally Rotterdam. She and Eric produce eight beautiful cubs: twins Lloyd and Nika in 2000, Lara in 2004, twins Arktos and Nanuq in 2007, Vicks in 2010, and twins Sizzel and Todz in 2014.
She was a very involved mother, a nurturing mom. Sometimes with twins, a mother bear lets the cubs entertain each other while she supervises from a distance, but not Olinka. She was always in the middle of the action, even with twins, and obviously enjoyed playing with her children, being their climbing toy, their chew toy, their swimming buddy, whatever they needed.
If a cub was hanging back along the shore, she would swim over and gently entice them in to the water. She let the little ones climb all over her, and never lost her patience. She was 22 years old when Sizzel and Todz were born, but she acted like a young mother with them, very active and oh so loving, as she taught them the skills they would need.
When it was time to nurse, she would gently lead them to her favorite private spot, and they would settle down for some quiet time. Then when it was playtime, she was up and joyfully romped and swam along with her little ones.
She gave her cubs all her love, and that love lives on in them, and her grandchildren. The next generation, Olinka’s grand children, are Lale and Lili in Emmen, Anna and Elsa in Bremerhaven, cousins Nanuk and Nanook in Munich, Hamish in Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and Vick’s brand new cub in Mulhouse France.
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