Cranbeary, the zoo’s female polar bear, continues to improve after local veterinarians performed surgery on February 10th to repair her broken right leg. The bear tumbled into the deep moat after roughhousing with the other polar bear in her compound. A broken bone on any animal is a tricky proposition, especially one as large and wild as a polar bear, but zoo officials remain optimistic for a full recovery.
In fact, the zoo’s Northwest Passage bear keepers have now set up a blog on its website where visitors can keep track of Cranbeary’s progress on an almost-daily basis. One recent entry reads: “It has been 7 weeks since Cranbeary’s surgery and her incision has healed and her hair is growing back. Her hair is already about an inch long. She has recently decided that she has a new favorite fish. Instead of gobbling up her sardines, she has decided she wants capelin [a type of codfish]. Of course, we are spoiling her, so she gets as much capelin as she wants! Again, Cranbeary and her keepers want to thank everyone for their cards and well wishes. They are much appreciated.”