YOU HELP SAVE ANIMALS!
You help Save Animals: Polar Bears International
There’s never been a more important time
for the existence of modern accredited Zoos
than now. Our planet is facing a mass extinc-
tion crisis. Your Louisville Zoo, like all AZA-
accredited institutions, is working to help Save
Animals From Extinction (see more at Louisville-
Zoo.org/SAFE). Twenty-fi ve cents from every
Louisville Zoo general admission ticket and one
dollar from every membership goes to conser-
vation. Also, as you visit the animals and ex-
plore the Zoo, look for signs with our Zoo con-
servation logo “You Help Save Animals”. When
you see this logo, it is highlighting the efforts of
your Louisville Zoo to help save species. Below,
learn mor e about this season’s featured wildlife
partner: Polar Bears International.
You may have heard a great deal about Polar
Bears international during the rescue of our
female polar bear Qannik six years ago.
Qannik made national headlines when she
was found abandoned on the Alaskan slope,
separated from her mother and sibling. The
cub’s journey from Anchorage, Alaska to
Louisville, Kentucky was dubbed “Operation
Snowfl ake” and was the result of a two-month
collaboration between the Alaska and Louisville
Zoos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Association
of Zoos and Aquariums, PBI and UPS. You can
learn more about Qannik at LouisvilleZoo.org/
glacier-run.
In recent years, increased numbers of cubs
have been dying during their early months of
life. Scientists have shown that these higher
death rates are linked to reductions in sea ice
caused by climate change. More open water
and fragmented sea ice makes it increasingly
diffi cult for tiny cubs to keep up with mother
bears that urgently need to catch seals in order
to regain weight lost during a long winter fast.
PBI is a leading authority on
polar bear research and con-
servation, the organization's
sole passion and focus. They’re
known for cutting-edge science,
inspired use of media and relentless drive to
ensure polar bears remain a part of the Arctic
forever. PBI conducts and collaborates on
polar bear research prioritized by the Inter-
national Union for Conservation of Nature
Polar Bear Specialist Group and by their
conservation partners across the Arctic.
They embark on the most urgent proj-
ects in a warming Arctic and ensure
that these projects have the greatest
impact on polar bear conservation.
Several of the Louisville Zoo staff
have traveled to Churchill, Canada
in order to work with and
learn from PBI.
PBI develops and pro-
motes educational and out-
reach materials that convey
science-based information
on polar bears, the Arctic,
global climate change, sea
ice dynamics, and the impacts
of a warming world on polar
bears and their ecosystem. In
addition, they directly advocate
for actions to reduce drivers of
climate warming — and call on our
leaders to speed up the transition to
a renewable energy future.
For more information on PBI visit
LouisvilleZoo.org/wildlifepartners.
Inside Your Zoo
Did you know that zoos are critical to conservation research? Zoos provide
valuable information about species to help their counterparts in the rem-
nant wild. Your Louisville Zoo studies cortisol levels in polar bears to establish
baseline levels. These levels are vital in helping biologists recognize and under-
stand the impact of environmental pressures creating stress on remnant polar bear
populations. Be sure to look for signs around the Zoo labeled “You Help Save Animals”
to learn more about our important conservation work.
Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Spring 2017 • 7