A new inhabitant, a polar bear named Terpei, appeared in the Kazan Zoo

The predator arrived in the capital of Tatarstan from Rostov-on-Don to create offspring with the bear Malyshka.

(KZN.RU, January 11, Ksenia Shvetsova). A new inhabitant appeared in the Kazan Zoo. A polar bear named Terpei was transferred to the capital of Tatarstan to create offspring with the bear Malyshka. Rustem Gafarov, the first deputy head of the Executive Committee, Olga Voronova, the head of the Executive Committee of the Kazan branch of the United Russia party, as well as deputies of the Kazan City Duma, members of the United Russia faction met the new resident of the Zoo. They examined the conditions and took part in a charity event. Fanis Nurmukhametov, the director of the Zoo, told the guests about how the bear handled the move.

Terpei settled in the Kazan Zoo on December 26 and successfully adapted. The bear belongs to the Perm zoo. He came to the capital of Tatarstan fr om Rostov-on-Don, where he lived for several years to breed. In Kazan, Terpei will create a pair with a bear named Malyshka, who was born and grew up here. The Malyshka is now 23 years old, she has produced four bear cubs.

Terpei will meet Malyshka in the near future, and then they will create a pair, as zoo employees hope. Most often, polar bears mate in March, the bear's offspring takes about 6-9 months. In one time, they bring fr om one to three cubs. When cubs are about 3-5 months old, they come out of their den. Polar bear cubs are born weighing 500 grams and gain about 30 kilograms in 3 months.

The territory of the Zoo has been cleaned additionally before the arrival of the guests. Activists of the public organization “Molodaya Gvardiya” helped to clear the territory, and the MUP “Trust Gorvodzelenkhoz” provided cleaning equipment. The sound of the working equipment disturbed Terpei, the bear paced about in the aviary and refused to give the caretaker a paw, but enjoyed eating fresh carrots. Rustem Gafarov asked about the bear’s state after the move. It turned out that he was already getting used to the new place, he was a little worried because of the snow removal, and the sounds of working equipment remind him of the move. “Terpei has already adapted in our zoo, got used to the staff, understands that he is being looked after and fed. Zoos are like health centers for animals, so they live much longer in them than in the wild”, explained F. Nurmukhametov.

“We were very pleased that the bear handled the transportation well, because it is usually quite a traumatic event, especially for the psyche of the animal. Strange people, smells, places, this is a great stress for an animal. But already half an hour after the arrival, our bear calmly ate what we prepared for him. After disembarking from the transport cage, he immediately began to study the new place, ate very well, and by evening he was playing with toys. He has a stable psyche”, added Svetlana Kurbashkina, the head of the predatory section of the Kazan Zoo. According to her, Terpei quickly realized who was caring for him, remembered the employees and already recognize them.

Terpei weighs 600 kilograms, but this is not the lim it for a young 16-year-old male bear. The bear is fed twice a day with boiled beef, fish, vegetables and fruits. “We regularly give the bear vitamins, if necessary, we buy medicines. In order to enrich its habitat, we purchase special toys”, said Fanis Nurmukhametov. He added that now a charity action is being held at the zoo, in which various toys, vitamins and medicines are purchased from ticket costs. Those who wish can also make donations to the zoo with the help of a special box installed next to the aviary of the polar bears.

The bears are constantly monitored. The zoo staff monitor changes in their condition and the slightest ailments are immediately reported to the veterinary service. In addition, they monitor the cleanliness of the place wh ere they live, create all the conditions that they need, taking into account the behavior. “All bears are different, they have a different character, different habits. Before taking Terpei, we found out that he loved, consulted with people who controlled him for several years, learned about his habits. For example, it is necessary to know what the animal will be afraid. This is very important”, said S. Kurbashkina.

In total, there are 9 people working in the department of predatory animals, each of whom strictly follows his duties. They clean aviary regularly.

Now when the weather in Kazan has become colder, polar bears feel especially good. In the summer, they will swim in water, savor frozen foods, for example, ice with fruit and ice cream.

Terpei will live in the capital of Tatarstan for about two years and then will be transferred to a new location. This is being done to ensure that the number of polar bears is constantly increasing, explained the director of the Zoo. “Today, there are about 20-25 thousand polar bears in the world, and in Russia there are no more than 7 thousand. Every year poachers shoot about 150-200 animals. Statistics is unfortunate. With the support of the Government of Russia, several programs were launched in 2008 to protect animals important for our country, including polar bears. Zoos play a very important role in their implementation. We try to propagate polar bears and transfer them to Russian zoos”, said F. Nurmukhametov.

“Zoos are open-air wildlife museums. Their role in the conservation of ecology in large cities is invaluable. We raise children using the example of caring for animals in a zoo, instill in them a love of nature, preservation of cleanliness”, noted the director of the Zoo.

Photo report

A polar bear named Terpei appeared in the Kazan Zoo

Video report

11.01.2019 15:18

A polar bear named Terpei appeared in the Kazan Zoo