ROYAL OAK, MI – An orphaned grizzly bear who grew up alongside an orphaned polar bear at the Detroit Zoo is “very happy” at his new home in Colorado, officials said.
Jebbie was relocated to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colo., in September after spending more than a year in the Detroit Zoo’s Arctic Ring of Life with polar bear Laerke.
The bear pair attracted a lot of attention and quickly became a favorite at the zoo. But zoo staff always knew the companionship between the two bears would be temporary; they were separated when Jebbie began to play too rough, the zoo said. Months later, the opportunity for him to move to the sanctuary couldn’t be passed up.
Jebbie, a grizzly bear who was found in Alaska as an abandoned cub, was recently relocated from the Detroit Zoo to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado where he is "very happy." (Provided by Detroit Zoo)Provided by Detroit Zoo
“In his new home, Jebbie has so much room to be a bear,” Elizabeth Arbaugh, curator of mammals for the Detroit Zoo, said in a statement. “He can explore, dig, forage, live with other animals and express young bear behaviors.”
Jebbie, a grizzly bear who was found in Alaska as an abandoned cub, was recently relocated from the Detroit Zoo to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado where he is "very happy." (Provided by Detroit Zoo)Provided by Detroit Zoo
The Wild Animal Sanctuary is the oldest and largest nonprofit sanctuary in the world dedicated to rescuing captive exotic and endangered large carnivores. It includes more than 120 habitats on 10,500 acres. The sanctuary provides expert care and rehabilitation, exceptional diets and enrichment, and large spaces to roam.
“Jeb is doing great, and he loves the three other young grizzlies who live in the habitat,” said Patrick Craig, executive director of the Wild Animal Sanctuary. “Jeb is very happy and loves swimming in his small lake.”
Jebbie, a grizzly bear who was found in Alaska as an abandoned cub, was recently relocated from the Detroit Zoo to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado where he is "very happy." (Provided by Detroit Zoo)Provided by Detroit Zoo
Jebbie and Laerke
During June 2021, Jebbie – a small cub at the time – was rescued after he was found wandering alone in Alaska. He first went to the Alaska Zoo and then was transferred to the Detroit Zoo.
On Nov. 17, 2020, two polar bear cubs were born at the Detroit Zoo: Astra and Laerke. Two days after birth, Laerke had a medical emergency and was removed from the den, the zoo said. She received round-the-clock care for months before she was reintroduced to the Arctic Ring of Life habitat. She was rejected by her sister and mother, and couldn’t rejoin them.
When Jebbie came to the zoo, it created a unique opportunity for the two orphans to have companionship and socialization, the zoo said. They swam, played and grew up together for many months.
FILE PHOTO - Grizzly bear cub Jebbie was found wandering alone in Alaska during June 2021. Polar bear cub Laerke was rejected by her mother after a medical emergency in November 2020. Now the young bears are playful companions at the Detroit Zoo.Provided by Detroit Zoo
“Though they eventually lived apart, Jebbie and Laerke provided each other with much-needed socialization,” Arbaugh said. “Their welfare was always our top priority, and we are happy we could provide these two cubs with a friend during a critical time in their development.”
While Jebbie settles in at his new home in Colorado, zoo staff has plans to separate Astra from her mother, Suka, and reintroduce her to Laerke.
READ MORE:
Michigan polar bear cub growing up, ready to separate from mother
Deer freed after having plastic Halloween bucket stuck on its head for weeks
Feds ‘want to drag me through the mud and all we did was help people,’ owner of Michigan zoo says