Luka, the Andean bear at the Phoenix Zoo, had a little surprise for zoo keepers this past week.
At four months old Luka was a declared a male bear. Now two years old, he turns out to be a she.
Last week, in preparation for Luka’s transfer to another zoo, the bear had a routine exam. The veterinarians found she didn’t have what they expected, said Joseph Becker of the Phoenix Zoo.
“So, the reaction was definitely one of surprise, but a happy surprise because a female bear is very important to the species survival plans,” said Becker. “So, having a female was actually very exciting news.”
The transfer to another zoo for Luka is part of a Species Survival Plan, which is put in place to make sure animals doesn’t go extinct.
“A lot of different zoos that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums participate in these SSPs and work together matching bears in a managed setting so they can breed and reproduce and also be ambassadors for their species,” said Becker.
Andean bears are considered to be a very secretive bears, Becker said. They are found in South America and they are listed as a vulnerable species due to their decreasing numbers in the wild.
Becker says because Luka is a female there are more options of zoos that she can be transferred to. Luka will be separated from her mother in the zoo transfer, but Becker explained this is a separation that occurs naturally in the wild.
As far as confusing the gender, he says that misidentifying the gender of an animal is not uncommon in the zoological world. A similar instance happened in Atlanta with two panda cubs in 2013.
“It’s not unheard of,” said Becker, “it’s just one of those things that it can be very difficult to determine based on the animal at a young age.”