Polar bears at Louisville Zoo meet for first time ahead of breeding season

By WLKY Staff

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Could it be love?

Louisville Zoo officials said that polar bears Bo and Qannik are showing promising signs ahead of the breeding season.

Bo, 6, arrived at the Louisville Zoo last year as a breeding partner for Qannik.

Now, after a number of meetings behind barriers, the duo is ready for face-to-face action, according to officials, and they had their first meeting on Tuesday.

We captured video of them playing with each other in their exhibit and it looks like they were hitting it off.

Staff at the zoo say this is a critical step in the breeding process and conserving the species.

“They have to swim great distances between ice floats, and it’s causing a lot of bears to have poor body condition and poor health, and reduces reproduction. So while bears are not critically endangered yet, but the environment’s changing rapidly, so it’s really important that we do everything here in the zoo world to help them out,” said Ron Evans, Louisville Zoo general curator.

Zoo staff will stay on hand while the pair gets acclimated to make sure both bears continue to interact safely.

With any luck, the zoo could one day get a baby polar bear.

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