Hudson and Hope Polar Bears

The wait is over. Hope, a 5-year-old female polar bear who arrived at Brookfield Zoo this past January, and Hudson, the zoo’s 14-year-old male polar bear, recently were introduced to one another.

When Hope first arrived from Utah’s Hogle Zoo, she was able to explore and get acclimated to her new home at the zoo’s Great Bear Wilderness. Over the past several weeks, animal care staff began allowing the two polar bears to see and smell each other through mesh barriers behind the scenes before giving them access together in one of the outdoor habitats.

“We are happy to see that the introduction between Hudson and Hope is going well,” said Amy Roberts, senior curator of mammals for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo. “While the two bears are getting to know each other, guests may see them engaged in a variety of normal behaviors, including open-mouth displays, roaring, chuffing (a rapid jaw movement), and one bear following the other.” It’s also a positive sign that we have seen them eating together and sleeping close within sight of one other.” To allow them more space, for the immediate future, the bears also will have access to an indoor area.

Hope’s transfer to Brookfield Zoo was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP). An SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for select species in accredited North American zoos and aquariums. Each plan manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.