21.10.2021 – Photos and story by Molly Merrow
When little Jebbie, an abandoned grizzly bear cub, was found wandering alone near homes in Tok, Alaska last June, his prospects did not seem very bright. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game moved him to the Alaska Zoo, because he was way too young to survive on his own. The people in the neighborhood where the cub was hanging out gave him the name Jebbie.
At the same time, the Detroit Zoo was looking for a companion for Laerke, a polar bear cub who had been removed from her mother and twin sister when she was two days old and failing. Laerke had been cared for by humans, which was fine during her early months, but now she really needed a playmate to learn how to be a bear. Her twin sister Astra had their mother to play and wrestle with, but Laerke, who had been totally dependent upon her human parents, was growing and it was time to reduce contact with her caretakers. While the public could see Astra and Suka every day, Laerke roamed the grassy meadow area only when the zoo was closed, always under supervision, but the public could not see her.
In July, Jebbie was brought to the Detroit Zoo to be a playmate for Laerke, since they are about the same age and both needed to be with another bear. When he arrived in Detroit, the grizzly cub weighed 76 pounds.
After a quarantine period for Jebbie, the two cubs were introduced behind the scenes, with a mesh barrier so they could smell each other and interact. Soon they were together, still out of public view.
The cubs’ keeper thinks that Jebbie most likely grew up with siblings before he was separated, because when the two cubs were introduced, Jebbie knew bear play, but Laerke had to learn it from Jebbie.
This remarkable pair of cubs made their public debut on September 23. Laerke now weighs 160 pounds, and Jebbie is at 208 pounds, and gaining fast. Laerke and Astra are now 11 months old.
When Jebbie and Laerke play in the meadow, Mother Suka and Laerke’s twin sister Astra sometimes stand near the separating moat and watch the two cubs playing, Astra looks like she wishes she could join the fun. Astra weighs 260 pounds, so Laerke is still a hundred pounds less than her sister.
Currently, Mother Suka and daughter Astra play and swim every day in the Pack Ice section of the habitat. Father Nuka has access to the grassy meadow at times, and when he refuses to come in, the cubs can’t come out, so I made my visit a two day event, to make sure I saw Jebbie and Laerke. I finally saw them on my second day.
The two cubs have a lot of fun together, and seem well matched, but there are differences. Laerke, as a marine mammal, spends a lot of time in the water. Jebbie, as a land bear, doesn’t want to get his head wet, but will go into the water once in awhile. He would rather circle around the pool.
No one knows how long they can stay together. Jebbie will grow up to be a very large grizzly bear, and even as a cub, he has really long claws. But for now, it is a good solution for this pair of cubs.
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