Berlin gets green light for Kansas City

• Berlin

Berlin the polar bear has been approved for a journey to Kansas City, Mo. Once there, it is hoped she will mate with the Kansas City Zoo’s lone male. (2009 file / News Tribune)

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It’s official: Berlin the polar bear has been given the all-clear for her journey to Kansas City, Mo.

The polar bear, which has been living at the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul after flooding damaged her home at the Lake Superior Zoo’s Polar Shores Exhibit in June, is being transferred to the Kansas City Zoo with the hope that she’ll mate with that facility’s lone polar bear.

The transfer became official after Kansas City Zoo veterinarian Kirk Suedmeyer visited Minnesota to be sure Berlin was up for the trip after a recent surgery.

The Kansas City Star reported that Berlin could arrive by next week and will be quarantined for 30 days. Then there will be an “introduction period” between Berlin, 23, and 6-year-old Nikita. Polar bears typically mate in February or March.

Berlin was forced from the Lake Superior Zoo’s Polar Shores exhibit by flooding early on June 20, and was on the loose at the zoo for several hours before being recaptured with the use of tranquilizer darts.

Because of flood damage, the polar bear was moved to St. Paul, where in October she underwent exploratory stomach surgery that revealed a necrotic mass — tissue that was killed by disease or trauma.

Lake Superior Zoo officials said earlier this month that Berlin someday could return to Duluth — perhaps with her first-born cub. They said plans will be unveiled soon for a Duluth polar bear exhibit that won’t be in the flood plain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tags: news, animals, duluth, zoo