Inuka

Inuka (Inuit for "Silent Stalker") (born December 26 1990) is a polar bear and one of the mascots of the Singapore Zoo.

Biography

Inuka was born in the Singapore Zoo and is the first polar bear to be born in the tropics. cite news | first = Hilary |last = Chiew | title = Too warm for polar bears |url = http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/10/3/lifefocus/15357193&sec=lifefocus |publisher = The Star |date = 2006-10-03 ] This was the result of an extensive breeding programme run by the zoo. There have been four polar bears at Singapore Zoo altogether — Nanook, Sheba and their offspring Inuka, as well as another female, Anana.

Nanook and Sheba arrived at the Singapore in 1978, from Winnipeg Zoo in Canada and Cologne Zoo in Germany respectively. Nanook was 11 months old and was captured in the wild, while Sheba was 14 months old and born in captivity. To ease them in, they arrived in the wee hours of the morning when the temperature was coolest. Like most zoo animals, one of each sex was brought in for mating and conservation purposes. Anana, a female polar bear caught in the wild, arrived from Canada in 1979. She died in 1999.

On December 26 1990, Sheba gave birth to a 500-gram cub. The cub was named Inuka, chosen from amongst 390 names suggested in a nationwide naming contest. More than 10,000 entries were received, including names like Arctos and Shardik. [ cite web | title =Polar Bear Inuka Turns 10! | work = Singapore Press Holdings | url = http://www.sph.com.sg/news/archive/press_001202_001.html | accessdate =27 December | accessyear = 2006 ]

In 1993, Singapore Press Holdings's (SPH) "The Straits Times" named Inuka as one of "28 people and things to call our own", alongside national swimmer Joscelin Yeo, the Vanda Miss Joaquim and the Singapore Sling. Inuka has been adopted by the foundation arm of SPH since birth, with the SPH co-organising events together such as his birthday parties. The foundation contributes about S$95,000 annually to the Wildlife Conservation Fund, which covers the adoption of Inuka and other zoo sponsorships.

Inuka's father, Nanook, which had been suffering from chronic heart and lung disease, died on 29 December 1995 at the age of 18. cite news | first = Hilary |last = Chiew | title = Too warm for polar bears |url = http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/10/3/lifefocus/15357193&sec=lifefocus |publisher = The Star |date = 2006-10-03 ] By then, Inuka was twice the size of his mother Sheba.

In 2000, more than 300 guests had free cake at Inuka's 10th birthday bash, where limited Inuka notebooks were also given away. In 2001, Inuka was named by the Singapore Zoo as a possible replacement for the ageing orangutan Ah Meng as the zoo's mascot, among other candidates like elephant Sang Raja and orangutan Hong Bao. However, nothing materialised.Teo Cheng Wee, "Parting will be such sweet sorrow", "The Sunday Times", 31 December 2006]

Health concerns

In 2004, Inuka and his mother had algae growing on their hair shafts and visitors thought that the zoo actually painted them green. The zoo said that the algae was harmless and singled out the hot, humid climate as the cause. To remove the algae, the zoo first sprayed Sheba with hydrogen peroxide and later sprayed Inuka. [ cite news | title = Polar bears turn green in Singapore |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3518631.stm | publisher = BBC | date = 2004-02-24 ]

That same year in 2004, controversies started over the polar bear enclosure at the zoo and Inuka and Sheba's behaviour. The enclosure was a mere size of 391 m² compared to its huge Arctic habitat which can spread an area of over 80,000 km².

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) discussed with the zoo a proposal to move Inuka to a temperate country zoo. The society also claimed that Sheba and he were showing signs of behavioural and physical distress such as signs of heat stress, high levels of inactivity, high levels of abnormal stereotypical behavior, and performing unusual behaviours such as waving and ringing a bell at feeding shows. Acres claimed that the pool's temperature was at 17°C much higher than the water conditions in the Arctic. Acres asked the zoo again to improve his enclosure. [ cite web | title =Polar Bears | work = Animal Concerns Research and Education Society | url = http://www.acres.org.sg/campaigns_polarbears.html | accessdate =27 December | accessyear = 2006 ]

The Singapore Zoo said the bears were kept in good conditions citing that Inuka was born in the tropics. It will not import anymore Arctic animals as it is planning to become a rainforest themed zoo. The zoo also spent S$200,000 upgrading the polar bears' facilities, installing another air-conditioner in the den and adding misting fans and netted shades over the enclosure to keep it at 22°C.Teo Cheng Wee, "Parting will be such sweet sorrow", "The Sunday Times", 31 December 2006]

Future

The Singapore Zoo has contacted the Polar Bear International Studbook keeper based in Rostock Zoo in Germany to have Inuka included in the list of bears available for transfer as part of an "animal exchange programme", when his mother, Sheba, dies. Inuka would most likely end up in a zoo in Europe.Teo Cheng Wee, "Parting will be such sweet sorrow", "The Sunday Times", 31 December 2006] [ cite news | title =No More Polar Bears for Tropical Singapore Zoo |url = http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/38011/story.htm|publisher = Planet Ark |date = 2006-09-08 ]

The zoo decided to focus on polar bears in 2006 as it could be their final year in Singapore. The SPH Foundation will sponsor Inuka's upkeep until he is transferred. Inuka's 16th birthday party in 2006 saw the attendance of more than fifty guests, and included an ice carving as well as a birthday cake made of ice filled with apples and fish, topped with sixteen carrot sticks representing candles. [ "The Straits Times", Inuka turns sweet 16, 2006-12-27 ]

In May 2007, the Singapore Zoo announced that Inuka will stay at the zoo even after Sheba dies, contrary to the earlier decision to send him to a temperate-country zoo when that happens. The decision was made on the recommendation of the zoo's Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee. However, there were no plans to import any more polar bears. Meanwhile, the zoo is looking into improving the facilities, including providing better water quality and a soft area for them to walk on.Mak Mun San, "Inuka the polar bear to stay on in sunny Singapore", "The Straits Times", 3 May 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.zoo.com.sg/index.htm Singapore Zoo website]