CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden now has plans to expand its research efforts into bears of all kinds, with the hopes of learning more about how the different species procreate.
The research will also help the zoo look at new monitoring technologies and practices that can help determine when a bear is pregnant.
Previously, the Cincinnati Zoo's research efforts in regards to bears focused specifically on polar bears.
"We will develop methods to better evaluate markers of reproductive health and animal well-being and, because there's no reliable method of pregnancy detection in bears, we will continue to explore novel methods for pregnancy diagnosis using cutting-edge technologies," said Dr. Erin Curry, director of polar bear signature project for the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife.
The Cincinnati Zoo itself has been no stranger to the mysteries of bear pregnancy over the years. In 2018, polar bear Anana put zookeepers through their paces when she collected all her favorite toys and took them to her den to overwinter — behavior that had zoo officials hopeful a bouncing baby bear could be on the way.
At the time, the Cincinnati Zoo said Anana's body likely experienced a pseudo pregnancy — a period in which an animal’s body experiences physical and hormonal changes mimicking pregnancy. However, zoo officials couldn't be certain until Anana emerged from her den without a new cub; traditional tests of blood and stool can prove hormonal changes and a scale can prove a polar bear's weight gain, but neither can confirm the presence of a fetus.
Performing an effective ultrasound on an arctic animal with a thick double coat is likewise a demanding and unreliable task, the Cincinnati Zoo said at the time.
The new research avenue is possible after the zoo received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The research will also happen through collaborations with other zoos across the country, including the Memphis Zoo.
"We're thrilled to receive this funding," said Curry. "Despite the popularity of bears, we know very little about their reproductive process compared to other species. This award will allow us to build on more than a decade of polar bear reproduction research and address the critical needs of other threatened and endangered bear species."
Curry said the funding will help advance monitoring techniques and preserve genetic material; it will also help train up four new positions in the form of a post-doctoral scientist and three IMLS scholar positions.
In all, Curry said the research will help zoos understand and possibly enhance the reproductive efforts of bear species, while developing methods to better evaluate indicators of bear's overall reproductive health.
"Bears in the wild are logistically challenging to study, but zoo bears provide unique opportunities to learn about the physiology and behavior of their wild cousins," said Curry. "We hope that the results of our efforts will help improve the conservation and management of wild bear populations, many of which are threatened or endangered."
The Cincinnati Zoo is just one of 10 total accredited zoos in the country with reproductive biologists among its staff. They and scientists with CREW have racked up roughly 20 years of research and studies into the reproductive physiology of threatened and endangered species — specifically rhinos, imperiled cars and polar bears.
The efforts have certainly had an impact; the Cincinnati Zoo has been the birth site of two different Eastern black rhino babies since 2017. When Kendi was born in 2017, he became the fifth Eastern Black rhino born in all of North America in two years. Kendi moved out of his parents' place in Cincinnati and headed to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in 2019 to participate in a breeding program.
In 2020, the Cincinnati Zoo welcomed another Eastern black rhino, Ajani Joe.
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