How the Alaska Zoo Protects Animals

[FamTimes Reporter Lee Kyung-han] The Alaska Zoo’s primary purpose is to rehabilitate abandoned and injured animals and serve as a refuge for Alaska’s wildlife.

The zoo finds better environments for rehabilitated animals and relocates them to zoos in the other 48 U.S. states and Canada.

Pat Lampi, executive director of the Alaska Zoo, said, “We work with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and ask zoos across North America whether they have room for black bears, brown bear cubs, and moose calves. Once an injured animal has been nursed back to health at a medical facility and we learn that a permanent home is available, we work with the receiving institution to develop a transfer plan.”

Lampi said young animals such as bear cubs can be transferred to other zoos on commercial flights.

Adult animals are transported using carriers such as UPS or FedEx and are accompanied by two people.

In some cases, circumstances have made it necessary to move animals from the Alaska Zoo to other zoos.

For example, an elephant named Maggie had to be moved to a zoo in Northern California in 2007. Lampi said, “Elephants need to live in a warm environment and socialize with other elephants. So we concluded that the Alaska Zoo was not a good environment for an elephant.”

The elephant lived at the Alaska Zoo for more than 10 years. Lampi visits Maggie every two years and said she appears to be doing better.

Two orphaned bear cubs that became friends while staying at the Alaska Zoo will soon board a flight to the San Francisco Zoo, which will become their forever home.

The Alaska Zoo is currently focusing on caring for other animal species, including Amur leopards, a musk ox species called the takin, and red pandas.

Reporter Lee Kyung-han fam1@pcss.co.kr