Valentine’s treat for solo polar bear

Wang exhibited signs of mourning and stress since the death of his partner GeeBee.

The zoo’s polar bear curator Agnes Maluleke said the bear hadn’t yet adapted to being alone in the enclosure.

“He still expects to see GeeBee in the enclosure, and there are days where he doesn’t want to eat. He is still in mourning,” she said.

“So we asked ourselves what we could do for Wang. Valentine’s Day is a day for love. He can’t get it from GeeBee, but he can get it from us, because we love him just as much as she did.”

Wang’s Valentine treat was given in the form of a behaviour enrichment programme.

One of his keepers placed meat, cut into the shape of a heart, and fruit in a box on top of a rock in the enclosure.

The polar bear was released into the enclosure, smelled the food, and sought out the box of treats.

The second part of the programme made use of a geometric container, in which fruit had been placed.

Maluleke said the container itself was something of a gift for Wang.

“A woman read about GeeBee’s death in a newspaper and contacted the zoo to ask if she could help with anything. One of the things we suggested was the container, which works well with various animals,” she said.

“The container has one hole in it, and the animals need to figure out how to get to the food inside.”

The woman contacted manufacturers Pioneer Plastics, who donated the container, along with several others, to the zoo.

The zoo’s enrichment officer, Nomusa Sangweni, said the enrichment programmes were like “taking a holiday” for the animals.

“Polar bears are playful, and need something they can grasp with their paws. With this, they must use their cognitive skills,” she said.

City Parks and Joburg Zoo spokesperson Jenny Moodley said she was delighted with Wang’s Valentine treat.

“The zoo staff really felt GeeBee’s loss, which came so soon after Madiba’s death. I’m so glad we could do something special for Wang,” she said.