Alaska’s Orphaned Polar Bear Cub Kali Flies to the Buffalo Zoo

In a statement this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that Kali, an orphaned polar bear cub, is being flown from the Alaska Zoo to the Buffalo Zoo. Kali, a 65-pound cub, was rescued in March from the Point Lay area of Alaska after his mother was killed by hunters.

Scheduled to arrive at the Buffalo Zoo on May 15, Kali will live with a young female cub named Luna already in Buffalo. Zoo keepers believe that it will be beneficial for the two cubs to socialize. Since his arrival in the Alaska Zoo, Kali adjusted well to his environment and more than tripled in size and weight.

“The Alaska Zoo has done a tremendous job of providing excellent, temporary care for Kali,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “I would like to personally thank the zoo for stepping up – at moment’s notice – to care for this cub. Now, as Kali leaves Alaska for his next short-term home, we are confident that the Buffalo Zoo will provide the best of care for Kali as the Service makes a final determination on a permanent home for the cub.”

According to the statement, the transfer , dubbed “Operation Kali,” has been arranged and funded by M&T Bank, one of the Buffalo Zoo’s long-standing corporate sponsors. “Kali and crew will take off from Anchorage for Buffalo, New York, on a UPS 747- 400 jet on May 14 at 3:09 pm and will arrive in Buffalo on May 15 at 5:16 am after a short layover and plane change at Worldport, UPS’s international air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. On the Louisville to Buffalo leg, Kali will fly aboard a UPS 767, newly fitted with fuel-saving winglets. The 4,400-mile door-to-door time from the Alaska Zoo to the Buffalo Zoo is estimated at 14 hours. Kali’s crate will be the last item loaded on the plane and the first item unloaded. The veterinarian will check on the cub during the flight. Dr. Donna Fernandes, president of the Buffalo Zoo, will greet the Alaskan contingent upon arrival in Buffalo. The cubs will be exhibited together at the zoo once Kali reaches Buffalo.”