Como Zoo Welcomes Kulu The Polar Bear

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Como Zoo has a new polar bear.

The St. Paul zoo announced Wednesday that Kulu is now in the deep-water exhibit of the Polar Bear Odyssey habitat.

While the 23-month-old, 725-pound bear will be able to see and smell his two bear zoo-mates, they'll be separated so Kulu can complete a mandatory quarantine period.

Kulu comes to the Como Zoo from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where he was born on Thanksgiving Day 2019.

Before he left Ohio, he was fitted with a prototype tracking device called "Burr on Fur." Created by 3M scientists, the device will hopefully replace the radio collars used to research polar bears in the wild.

The "Burr on Fur" is sort of like a Post-It note tacked on a bear's back. It can be placed on any type of bear, unlike radio collars, which can only be placed on female polar bears.