Two polar bears leaving Maryland Zoo; one relocating to Portland

BALTIMORE — The two polar bears living at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore are moving to new locations after recommendations from a nonprofit organization which focuses on animal care and welfare, officials said Monday.

A news release says Neva and Amelia Gray came to the Maryland Zoo as two-year-olds in 2018 from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium and are half-sisters.

Based on the recommendations from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, Amelia Gray will go to the Oregon Zoo in Portland to join her half-sister Nora.

Neva will move to an accredited zoo on a breeding recommendation and will eventually be paired with an older male polar bear, according to the news release.

With the move, both habitat sections at Polar Bear Watch at the zoo will now be solely for the use of the grizzly bears, Nova and Nita. The two species don’t normally coexist in the same territories in the wild and do not share the same space at the zoo, but they can see, hear and smell one another.

On its webpage the AZA says it is “dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.”