Farewell, Katya

The Buffalo Zoo is saddened to report the death of one of its Eurasian lynx, Katya.

The Zoo's veterinary staff determined that Katya was suffering from age-related organ failure. The 16-year-old lynx was humanely euthanized on March 25.

Kayta arrived at the Buffalo Zoo long with her sister, Larissa, in 2008. The pair were moved to the Zoo's brand new lynx exhibit in Arctic Edge, presented by TOPS, last fall.

Well-loved by Zoo visitors and staff alike, Katya will be truly missed. Larissa will remain on exhibit in Arctic Edge.

Help Us Say Goodbye to the Gray Wolves

The Buffalo Zoo’s gray wolves will leave this week.

The Zoo’s pair of wolves, who reside in the Arctic Edge exhibit, presented by Tops Friendly Markets, will leave for their new home on Wednesday.

After careful consideration, Zoo officials have decided to relocate siblings Timber and Willow. The young pair, who will be two in April, arrived to the Buffalo Zoo in September 2015 from the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in Watertown, N.Y. Their arrival was part of the Buffalo Zoo’s opening of its newest signature exhibit, Arctic Edge, where the two wolves were to have found their permanent home.

Keeper staff has kept a close eye on the pair since their arrival, and observed that the wolves were not settling into their new habitat as expected. Continued observations over the six-month period led to the decision to seek an alternate arrangement. They will be transported to another accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that offers a different enclosure configuration, and may appeal better to the wolves’ juvenile energy and shy behavioral characteristics.

“We will always keep the best interests of the animals in mind,” said Buffalo Zoo President & CEO, Donna Fernandes, Ph.D. “We love the wolves, and like the public, we have enjoyed having them here, but we recognized the difficulties they were having and feel we have made the best choice for their overall comfort and well-being.”

In the spring, modifications will be made to the former wolf enclosure in Arctic Edge to welcome arctic fox. Smaller, more curious and social, it is anticipated that the arctic fox will be a fitting addition to the exhibit. Arctic fox are native to the regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Acquisition details are still being finalized and will be shared with the public when more information becomes available.

Polar Bear Kali expected to move to Saint Louis Zoo

Luna’s mother Anana to re- join Luna in Buffalo 

Pending the final approval of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and under the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums [AZA], the Buffalo Zoo anticipates moving the juvenile polar bear Kali to the Saint Louis Zoo for its new arctic exhibit, Polar Bear Point.

Kali, the young male cub rescued in Alaska after the death of his mother, came to the Buffalo Zoo in May of 2013 to join Luna, the young female cub born at the Buffalo Zoo in November 2012. In cooperation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan® (SSP) of the AZA, it was determined at that time that the best placement for the orphan cub would be Buffalo, where both cubs could benefit from the company of another bear during their important developmental period.

“Keeping the bears together for the first 2 ½ years of their life was important to their social and psychological development, but now they have reached the age where they would be separating from their mothers and siblings if in the wild,” said Buffalo Zoo President and CEO Donna M. Fernandes.

“We would like to invite the Western New York community to come to the Buffalo Zoo to say good bye to Kali and wish him well as he prepares to travel to his new home. Kali is expected to leave Buffalo toward the end of April,” she added.

This photo of Kali was taken in 2013. Now he weighs over 800 lbs!

The Buffalo Zoo expects to welcome Luna’s mother, Anana, back to Buffalo later in the spring.  Anana has spent the last two years at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago on breeding loan.

“While saying goodbye to Kali will be sad to all of us who have grown to love him, we are delighted to be getting back our breeding female and the opportunity for more cubs,” Fernandes continued.

The Buffalo Zoo is a pioneer among zoos its size in supporting and expanding the gene pool of a diverse number of wild animals. In fact, the Buffalo Zoo is responsible for 4,710 births among 32 species. Buffalo, Toronto and Toledo are the only North American zoos that successfully reared polar bear cubs in the last five years. In all, the Buffalo Zoo polar bear breeding program has produced 10 cubs since 1985.

Following the departure of Kali, who is now more than 800 pounds, Luna will move to the polar bear holding facility in the Buffalo Zoo’s new Arctic Edge exhibit.

“We will arrange for a video camera feed so visitors can observe her while she awaits completion of her new outdoor habitat,” Fernandes said.

The new $14 million Arctic Edge exhibit design specifically accounted for the Zoo’s track record in breeding polar bears and development of protocols that enhance those efforts. Arctic Edge, will also contain wolves, bald eagles and Canadian lynx, and is scheduled to open in September 2015.