Something strange is happening at the Detroit Zoo— a grizzly bear and a polar bear have been playing together!
Last summer, Jebbie, a grizzly cub, was found wandering alone in Alaska. The orphaned cub needed care. Laerke (LAIR-keh), a polar bear cub, was born in the Detroit Zoo, but she became too sick to stay with her family. She needed a buddy to grow up with. It was a perfect match!
The two cubs now live together in the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit wrestling and sharing toys. “This social development is critically important for both Laerke and Jebbie,” says Scott Carter, who works at the Detroit Zoo.