A High-Flying Conservation Success
Big milestone alert! A southern bald ibis chick has fledged at the zoo — a first in our history! With the species listed as Near Threatened and AZA populations declining since 2018,…
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Bite-Sized
Happy Birthday ‘Manuka’!
March 14, 2023 | 1 minute read
Happy birthday to our American black bear, ‘Manuka’! Manuka came to us in 2013, and is turning 12 years old this month!
Did you know that black bears can come in different colours? Manuka is a black bear, but she’s a blonde black bear! Her white colouring comes from her origins in B.C., where the spirit bear population has recessive genes that cause white colouring. This gives Manuka her sandy blonde look that is similar to manuka honey!
You can often spot Manuka by looking up – she’s an agile tree climber! Manuka isn’t available for viewing while the bears are enjoying their winter slumber, but join us in wishing her a happy birthday and be sure to stop by to say hi once the bears wake up!
Black bear ‘Manuka’