ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A female polar bear born at an upstate New York zoo more than 20 years ago is returning to her birthplace after nearly a decade at a Maryland zoo.
Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo (dihn-AWL’-foh) announced Wednesday that Anoki has returned to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester.
Anoki (uh-NOH’-kee) was born there in November 1996 to Aurora and her first mate, Yukon. Aurora died in March at 28, leaving the zoo without a polar bear.
Anoki was a year old when she was sent to the Albuquerque Biological Park. In 2009, she was moved to Baltimore’s Maryland Zoo and quickly became a crowd favorite.
Zoo officials say Anoki arrived at the Rochester zoo Tuesday and made her public debut in the polar bear exhibit on Wednesday.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.