Overview

• Astra arrived in St. Paul this week from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma under a Polar Bear Population Alliance recommendation.
• She is in quarantine and can see, smell, and hear the other bears, with no public viewing date set yet.
• Zoo staff plan to pair the 4-year-old with 5-year-old Kulu as part of a long-term breeding strategy for a threatened species, noting her valuable genetics.
• If her adjustment goes well, the zoo hopes to give her access to the deep-water exhibit as early as this weekend.
• Her arrival brings Como’s polar bear group to four, including seniors Neil, 29, and Nan, 30, in a habitat designed with potential cub rearing in mind.