POWELL, Ohio (AP) - A female polar bear born at a central Ohio zoo and hand-reared by staff will move to the Oregon Zoo this fall.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced 9-month-old Nora will join a female bear named Tasul at Portland's Oregon Zoo.
Nora's last day on view in Columbus is Sept. 5. Zoo officials said she'll be in quarantine before her Oregon debut, which hasn't been scheduled.
Photos: Nora the Polar Bear
Photos: Nora is coming to the Oregon Zoo
In 2019, the two will have a new, much-improved habitat to roam. The Oregon Zoo is in the process of designing a new polar bear habitat. It will be called "Polar Passage."
Instead of concrete, which lines the current exhibit and can cause problems for the bear's joints, the new habitat will have soft soils and grass.
Just one of many improvements.
"Our new exhibit will have salt water, which people are learning is really important for polar bears just like other marine mammals," explained animal curator Amy Cutting.
Also, instead of living in what many term a big concrete bowl, the bears will be able to enjoy a much wider open space in the new habitat.
"One of the things we're most excited about with this new exhibit is being able to get away from this old concept of what a polar bear exhibit is, where people are looking in," explained Cutting. "And create an environment where the bears are up high and looking out."
The $22 million project that will also help educate visitors about the threatened polar bear and what they can do to help protect it both now and in the future.
The zoo says, during construction, the bears will either be moved to another location in the zoo or temporarily moved to another zoo.
Construction on it is set to begin October of next year. The exhibit itself is expected to open in June of 2019. The project is being paid for by a public bond that was passed back in 2008.