Lori Townsend and Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage
A polar bear cub is expected to arrive in Anchorage Friday evening after Fish and Wildlife officials determined that it was orphaned.
Fish and Wildlife was informed about the cub by ConocoPhillips after it was observed on the Alpine field on the western edge of Prudhoe Bay.
According to Rosa Mehan, supervisor of the marine mammal program for Fish and Wildlife in Alaska, officials were able to verify that the female cub, that’s about four months old, was indeed an orphan before they captured it.
Mehan says the fate of the mother is not currently known and that a number of things could have contributed to her disappearance.
It has not been decided where the cub will be staying in the future, but, for now, it will reside at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. The cub will be fed Esbilac, a commercial puppy milk replacement, boosted by heavy cream for the high fat needs of a polar bear diet.
According to Mehan, the one place it will not end up, however, is back in the wild.
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