PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Nora, a beloved polar bear, will soon bid her final farewell to Portlanders.
The 10-year-old female’s final day at the Oregon Zoo will be this Sunday, Nov. 30. Her next stop is Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wis. — where she is expected to raise cubs and continue populating her species that is classified as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
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“We’re going to miss Nora,” Rachel Ritchason, the zoo’s deputy director of animal care, said in a statement. “In some ways, it feels like she grew up here. But we know this is an important step for her as well as for the overall polar bear population. It would be amazing to see her raise some cubs and help ensure a long-term future for this very vulnerable species.”
The polar bear was born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Nov. 6, 2015. She relocated to Portland the following year, before joining Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo in 2017, and ultimately returned to the Rose City when the Oregon Zoo opened its Polar Passage habitat in 2021…