The St. Louis Zoo welcomes an orphaned 850-pound bear,
delivered by FedEx.
The two-year-old male named Kali, was orphaned as a cub,
arrived at his new home on Friday.
The bear was shipped in by plane and truck ahead of its
scheduled June 6 debut at the zoo's new Polar Bear Point Exhibit.
Zoo authorities say that Kali was resting comfortably and
would remain in quarantine for about a month, which is standard practice that
allows an animal to become acclimated to its new home.
Kali spent the past two years at the Buffalo Zoo after he
was orphaned in Alaska's wilderness, when a hunter unknowingly killed his
mother, unaware she had a cub.
Kali's latest adventure came Tuesday, when FexEx - having
over the years handled everything from endangered sea turtles to seals and
pandas - stepped in with air and ground transportation to get a bear halfway
across the country.
Kali caught a three-hour flight on a FedEx Express 767
jet from Rochester, New York, to Memphis, Tennessee, secured in a specially
designed, half-ton aluminum crate while monitored by a veterinarian and two
attendants, the company said in its blog.
The crate was placed behind the cockpit wall, allowing a
Buffalo zoo representative and Steve Bircher, the St. Louis Zoo's curator of
mammals and carnivores, to monitor and hydrate him and 'basically talk to him,'
said Susan Gallagher, the St. Louis zoo's spokeswoman.
At Memphis, FedEx said, the bear was wheeled to a waiting
company truck, its drivers trained in handling sensitive shipments.
Attendants who followed in a vehicle frequently checked
Kali's condition, providing water along the way during the five-hour drive in
which the bear was in a cargo area kept at 55 degrees.
Kali's new digs are a 40,000-square-foot habitat offering
visitors starting in a month a glimpse of him through a 22-foot window.
'We applaud the work of the Saint Louis Zoo and wish Kali
a bright and happy future in his new home,' Neil Gibson, FedEx's vice president
of corporate communications, said in a statement Friday.
Boxed up: Kali’s transportation on May 5 from Rochester,
New York, to St. Louis was donated by FedEx.
Tracking: Kali flew on board a FedEx Express flight from
Rochester to Memphis, and then a temperature-controlled truck transport via
FedEx Custom Critical from Memphis to St. Louis.
The St. Louis Zoo Now Has A New 850-Pound Bear: Delivered
by FedEx.
Helping hand: The Saint Louis Zoo’s veterinarian and
animal care staff accompanied him on the day-long journey.
His story: Kali came to St. Louis from the Buffalo Zoo,
where he has lived since May 2013. In March 2013, he was orphaned by an Alaskan
hunter who unknowingly killed Kali’s mother in a subsistence hunt.
Thirsty work: Vets accompanied Kali so he could be fed
and watered during the move.
Packing up: Staff from the zoo and shipping company took
extra care to make sure he wasn't in too much distress.
Special cargo: The entire journey from Buffalo, NY to St.
Louis took a whole day.
Nice people: “FedEx is committed to the conservation of
at-risk animal populations, and we’re proud to have played a part in Kali’s
journey,” said Neil Gibson, vice president FedEx corporate communications.
Meet him in St. Louis: "Kali arrived safe and sound
and is adjusting nicely to his new surroundings," said Saint Louis Zoo
Curator of Carnivores Steve Bircher.
How he has grown: Incredible to see how large Kali has
grown in the two years since this picture was taken. It would also have been
far easier to ship at this size!
How he used to look! This picture was taken when Kali was
just a cub. He was taken to Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.
New home: Kali’s new home is a 40,000-square-foot habitat
that offers visitors a 22-foot viewing window, where the polar bear can come
right up to the glass to greet guests.
On ice: The sea water area features a 1,000-square-foot
Arctic room with a four-panel viewing wall.
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