Siku møder andre isbjørne
It was very important that Siku learned to live with other polar bears. Therefore we started the introductions when he turned one year old.
When hand-rearing Siku, one of the main priorities was that he would grow up to move in with the other polar bears. Therefore, as a 3-month-old polar bear cub, he already moved into an enclosure next to the other polar bears. However, there was still a keeper with him around the clock, as it would be very scary for such a young bear to be all alone. The keepers greeted the other polar bears through the fence with Siku, and taught him that they were not dangerous.
Siku and smilla
Smilla was an older female polar bear who moved in to the park in 2012. Unfortunately, she came from some very different conditions, and had difficulty getting used to the large areas, grass under her feet and contact with the other polar bears. She was afraid to live with the other adult polar bears, so she lived alone in the enclosure right next to Sikus.
Smilla and Siku spent many hours greeting each other through the fence, and by spring 2013, they had gotten to know each other so well that we could open up between their enclosures. All through the 2013 season, they lived together in Siku’s teenage room. Unfortunately Smilla died of liver cancer in the spring of 2014.
Siku and the twins
After living with Smilla for a whole year, it was time for Siku to meet other polar bears. In the spring of 2014, he was introduced to his mother Ilka and his two younger siblings. Ilka couldn’t remember that she was also the mother of Siku, and in fact she thought that Siku was a bit of an annoying teenager. But she did enjoy that he entertained her two rambunctious polar bear cubs. Siku and the twins loved splashing around in the big lake and spend most of their time playing.
SIku is introduced to the big males
In November 2016, we reached an important milestone in Siku’s life; he was introduced to the other adult males in the park. He had just turned 5 years old and was therefore sexually mature, so his time with his mother and sister was over. We first introduced him to his father Nanok, and it wasn’t long before the two of them started playing. Later, the time came for Uncle Nuuk, and although Nuuk is not quite as playful as the other two, the mood was good.
Around the beginning of December 2016 Siku moved in permanently with the adult males, and we can now chechkmark another milestone in his upbringing.