MADISON, Wis. — The Henry Vilas Zoo will bid farewell to one of its most eye-catching residents next month.
Borealis, the male polar bear, will be moving to another zoo on a breeding recommendation, staff announced Friday. “Bo,” as he is nicknamed, came to Madison in 2020 when he was about two years old. At the time he weighed just over 600 pounds.
Zoo staff said that, now that Bo is five years old and 1,000 pounds, he is nearing sexual maturity.
“Bo is an amazing ambassador for his species,” zoo director Ronda Schwetz said. “We are all very fond of Bo, but we know this move is important because Bo is genetically very important to the polar bear population in zoos across the country.”
Zoo staff said an exact date for Bo’s departure has not been set, but he’ll be moved by mid-February to line up with polar bear breeding season. The zoo has another polar bear, a female named Berit. There are less than 50 polar bears in zoos nationwide.
The Henry Vilas Zoo is working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to bring a new bear in to join Berit by the end of the year. The last time the zoo moved a polar bear was in 2020, when Nuniq went to the Kansas City Zoo and Bo was brought to Madison.