willipe9: How far south can a polar bear come and still survive?
Peter Gros: The polar bear's range limits are determined by pack ice. Their southernmost point is James Bay in Canada. While their numbers thin north of 88 degrees latitude, there's evidence of polar bears all the way across the Arctic. Population estimates are just over 20,000, with estimates of 60 percent in Canada. Some scientists recognize six distinct populations. They are: Wrangel Island in the Russian Far East, northern Alaska, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, Greenland, north-central Siberia and Svalbard-Franz Josef Land.

4spydy: Peter, Is there ever a chance where an orphaned cub will be adopted by another female?
Peter Gros: Yes, there are a small number of documented instances of adult females switching their litters in the wild, as well as adopting unrelated bears.

pcoffelt: It was heartbreaking to watch the polar bear situation. Do you know if the little bear made it or not? I cried through the whole show.
Peter Gros: I have not been in contact with the researchers since the show's completion, but I do know at that age polar bears are equipped to deal with the harsh environment. Polar bears will kill large animals, eat their favorite part first — the fat — and it's possible for a younger bear to feed on the remains while it's learning to hunt. I too have high hopes and do think it's possible for him to have survived.

renegade8: Thinking about the polar bear cub in the Alcatraz show, could a cub like that be transported to a zoo? I am curious where or how zoo polar bears become zoo polar bears.
Peter Gros: Polar bears reproduce very well in zoos and captivity now, so generally captive-bred polar bears were born in a zoo environment and that's all they really know. There have been cases in the past where bears have become too acclimated to people; they keep wandering into villages and lose their fear of humans. I believe there have been successful introductions to zoos in the past of these habituated bears.

Once a cub like the one in the Polar Bear Alcatraz special has moved off onto the pack ice, it still has a chance of survival depending on the success of the ring seal population. There is a chance that that bear did survive.

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