Polar, brown, and Asian black: bears you can find at Moscow Zoo

December is when Russian regions celebrate Bear Day. Since olden times, people have respected this animal for its strength and might, calling it the master of the woods. Today there are four bear species at the Moscow Zoo: brown, polar, Asian black, and giant panda bears. Some of them are on the Red List as their population declines every year. Pandas are the most vulnerable of the species. Zoologists are currently focused on the polar bears of the Far North, whose population amounts to the meager 25k specimens in the whole world.

The Moscow Zoo takes part in various protection programs. For example, the Stay in the Wild program helps polar bears return back to their natural habitat, since the melting of ice and vanishing of the food procurement spots make them come out to people more often. The specialists also rescue injured polar bears and orphaned cubs doomed to die in the wild. The Zoo creates the most comfortable conditions for them: provides enclosures with artificial rocks and basins, plans out individualized diets and rehabilitation programs.

Tompa and Dikson, the polar predators

In the spring of 2021, the Moscow Zoo became home to two polar bears at once. One was transferred from Sakha; another came from the Arctic region. Both were extremely malnourished and came out to people: a young female polar bear Tompa couldn’t hunt due to health problems and the little Khatanga lost her mother too soon.

The bears were quick to adapt to their new habitat and gained enough weight. Khatanga has already been transferred to the Yekaterinburg zoo, to a new spacious enclosure prepared for her in advance. Tompa still lives in the Moscow Zoo. Her current diet comprises several meat varieties, about 10 types of fish, fruits, and vegetables. She’s full of energy and very curious; she enjoys burrowing in snow and swimming in the pool. She also plays with unusual toys: the zoo staff offers her cones and cardboard boxes with treats hidden inside.

In September 2022, the Moscow Zoo took in polar bear named Dikson, Tompa’s neighbor. He was transferred from the Krasnoyarsk Terriotory in a grave condition. He had gun wounds and injured limbs. The zoo developed a special rehabilitation program for him. Everyday, Dikson has trainings that include foot stimulations, corpus bends, veterinary examinations, and wound treatment. The effect is already evident. Experts say Dikson is fine now: he has regained his strength and energy; he also displays excellent appetite. Unfortunately, his hind legs still don’t move. Once the doctors manage his pressure injuries, Dikson will be able to swim in his own basin.

Ru Yi and Ding Ding — everyone’s favorites

Pandas Ru Yi and Ding Ding, other zoo residents, have long won visitors’ hearts. The bear couple was transferred from China in 2019 under the panda conservation, protection, and research program.

The daily routine of the bamboo bears includes a substantial breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner, compulsory trainings with zoologists, open air games, and relaxation. Once the cold weather settled, the bears noticeably cheered up. They roll in snow and break the ice covering the small ponds in their enclosures.

Visitors can see the pandas in the Chinese Fauna pavilion. Each panda bear lives in their one enclosure. These everything one needs to make the bears feel as comfortable as in their natural environment: a lot of ponds, plants and log structures for climbing and sleeping. The total area of the pavilion is about 800m². There is also an interactive exhibition dedicated to the history of the panda research and protection.

Rosa and Aladdin the long-livers and Grom the traveler

Rosa, a 30-year-old brown bear, and Aladdin, a 28-year-old Asian black bear, are one of the oldest Moscow Zoo residents. Rosa has been living here since the early 1990s when she was brought here from the Kamchatka Peninsula. She had a tough life just like many of her bear brothers and sisters. Soon after her birth, Rosa lost her mother to the poachers and was hiding for several days until she was found by a forest ranger. At the Moscow Zoo, Rosa became a real star: she gladly posed for visitors, waving her front paws. Gradually, she was losing her energy just like any bear should, in accordance with natural rhythms. The zoologists constantly come up with new ways to entertain Rosa so she doesn’t get bored, for example, they hide treats under logs and stones in her enclosure, bring alive carps into the ditch, give her an ice cake.

Aladdin, an Asian black (or white-chested) bear, Rosa’s neighbor, also lost his mother in his early childhood and came out to people looking for help. He would’ve died on his own in the wild, so Moscow specialists took him in and have been taking care of him for over 20 years.

Recently, one more brown bear appeared at the Moscow Zoo. A 16-year-old he-bear named Grom was transferred from Donbass. He’s staying at the Center for the Reproduction of the Rare Animal Species, not far from Volokolamsk. Grom’s been very stressed these past few months: he was scared of the explosion accompanying the shelling of the beer factory, where he’d lived for many years under the supervision of workers. Once settled, he had a hard time getting used to the peace and quiet of his new home. Grom is under constant supervision of vets and zoologists. Experts point out his good condition and excellent appetite. He has already put on some noticeable weight — now Grom weights about 280kg.