Bitesize Bonus: Hibernation

READ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

VIGNETTE (00:00)

EMILY BISHOP: You’re probably familiar with Hibernation – that time when animals, like bears, settle their brains for a long winter’s nap.

But what exactly is hibernation? And why do animals hibernate?

It’s more than a period of rest of these animals, it’s a purposeful shutting down and slowing of bodily functions. It’s a time that allows them to heal.

But the factors that trigger hibernation in wild bears aren’t necessarily present for their Zoo counterparts. So how does this affect the bears health? And can you trick a bear into hibernating?

---

INTRO (00:41)

BISHOP: Hello, and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast Bitesize Bonus.

I’m your host, Emily Bishop, and in this mini episode we’re giving you the Zoo Scoop on Hibernation.

---

WHAT IS HIBERNATION (00:58)

LINDSEY DAVIS: Hibernation is basically a period of inactivity, an extended period of inactivity that bears will undergo, and other species will also hibernate as well. And it is an adaptation that allows them to survive a seasonal shortage of food. Also, low environment temperatures and the snow cover on the ground, which will cover up their food sources.

BISHOP: That’s Lindsey Davis, a Zookeeper at Sedgwick County Zoo in the North American Prairie. She looks after the white-tailed deer, black-footed ferrets, and the Grizzley bear that calls Sedgwick County Zoo home- Mallory.

Hibernation is a months long endeavor for the bears, which creates a catch 22 for Zoos nationwide.

On one hand, if the bears are hibernating, then people can’ t see the bears. But on the other hand, hibernation is a natural occurrence for the bears.

Zoo Bears also don’t necessarily encounter the lack of resources that wild bears do- a factor that contributes to hibernation.

This has sparked conversations in the Zoo World about how best to approach hibernating animals, and there’s been a recent change in this approach

DAVIS: So, more zoos are moving towards allowing their bears to hibernate just because it is what’s natural for the bear. We want them to exhibit those species-specific behaviors that they have evolved to display.

Hibernation serves as a reset for the bears. It calms them down and allows them to heal.

DAVIS: it’s more than just sleeping. It’s really just, it’s a total metabolic shutdown. It’s really crazy. And I encourage people to read up on it because it’s really interesting, the things that happen during hibernation.

But they will shiver to maintain some blood flow.

For the most part, they are asleep, and they actually don’t urinate or defecate when they hibernate. Those things are broken down by the body and reused.

BISHOP: Hibernation usually lasts 4-5 months. And during this period, the care the bears receive is pretty minimal. As long as they have some water, they’re fine. Zookeepers really just leave them alone until they wake up in the spring.

---

HOW ZOO BEARS HIBERNATE (00:58)

BISHOP: For Grizzley Bear Mallory, hibernation is not a problem. She’s consistently hibernated for several years.

DAVIS: So, this year in particular, we really wanted to try to encourage them to hibernate. Our grizzly bear has hibernated every year in the past. She has no problem going to sleep and sleeping all day long.

BISHOP: Now, Sedgwick County Zoo was also home Black Bear Mitch. But sadly, Mitch passed away in early December due to heart failure. He was 20 years old.

But prior to his passing, Zookeepers were working to help Mitch hibernate. Lindsey and mine’s conversation on hibernation happened before Mitch’s passing, so in the interest of education, we’re still going to talk about Mitch and the attempts to help him hibernate.

DAVIS: Our black bear, on the other hand, has kind of stopped hibernating. And this is because we provide food for them all winter long. So, they don’t go into that state where they’re sleeping and not eating. So, we’ve made some changes this year to try to encourage them to hibernate.

BISHOP: These changes included covering up the skylight in his off-exhibit area so that his den was nice and dark. His food had been gradually decreased to encourage hibernation. Zookeepers also provided him with additional bedding to make him more comfortable.

The reason behind Mitch’s resistance to hibernation wasn’t fully understood. Part of it might be that he had simply never done it before, so it was a new behavior that he wasn’t really sure how to go about. But genetics might have also played a role.

DAVIS: With Mitch, he was a rescue from the pet trade. So, we don’t know anything about his genetics. We don’t know if he’s a northern bear or a southern bear. Whereas Mallory, we know she came to us from Washington State University- they have a bear, a grizzly bear program up there. So, that could definitely be a factor as well.

BISHOP: Visitors to the Sedgwick County Zoo will have to wait a few months before seeing Mallory. She’s tucked up in her den hibernating through the winter. But when spring comes, she’ll be back on exhibit, well rested and enjoying the warmer weather.

---

LEARN HOW THE ZOO MAKES HOLIDAY SHOPPING EASY (05:39)

BISHOP: That’s what’s new at zoo with Hibernation. But keep listening after a brief message about how the Zoo makes holiday shopping easy to learn about how hibernation could be the key to understanding certain illnesses in humans.

Trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one can be tough. Shopping during the holiday season is stressful.

So why not make things easy and get your loved one a gift they’ll never forget?

When you purchase the Sedgwick County Zoo’s Holiday Gift Membership, you not only get two additional guest passes, but 15 months of membership for the cost of 12.

Enjoy unlimited visits to the zoo, early entry, discounts on special events, and early access to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.

Visit scz.org/membership and select the Holiday Gift Membership option to get started. 

This year, take the stress out of holiday shopping and give the gift of membership.

---

HOW HIBERNATION COULD BE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING CERTAIN ILLNESSES IN HUMANS (06:51)

BISHOP: During hibernation, bears are immobile for months. They’ll adjust their sleeping position slightly to avoid bed sores, but that’s it as far movement goes. You would think this would result in muscle and bone problems when they wake up, but it doesn’t.

DAVIS: So, when bears hibernate, they will experience hardly any bone degradation or bone loss that you would expect from other mammal species. So like, if a human was inactive for four to five months, there would be a lot of muscle atrophy and things like that. But with bears, that just does not happen. And studies have shown that the genes involved in the breakdown of bone are actually suppressed during hibernation, and processes like this are being studied to help with osteoporosis in humans.

BISHOP: This ability to suppress the genes for bone breakdown might hold the key to treating osteoporosis.

But hibernation isn’t only a possible solution for osteoporosis, it might also be a cure for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

DAVIS: Because what happens in an Alzheimer’s patient is that there is a buildup of what are called tau proteins, t-a-u proteins, that damage the brain. This also happens during hibernation with animals that hibernate. However, when a hibernating animal wakes up, those tau proteins are cleared, and they basically get a reset. Whereas in an Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease patient, the proteins continue to build up and continue to damage the brain.

BISHOP: So, in the future as medicine advances, in order to cure certain ailments, just like the bears, us humans might be settling our brains for a long winters nap.

---

OUTRO (06:51)

BISHOP: Thanks for listening to this Bitesize Bonus episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.

For more information on hibernation, be sure to follow us on social media, which is linked in the description of this episode. And check out our website: scz.org

I’ve been Emily Bishop and we hope you enjoyed this mini episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.