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Both polar bears are leaving the Denver Zoo, and there's no timeline for their return

Cranbeary, a 16-year-old female, will leave in October for The Alaska Zoo. Lee, her 18-year-old mate, will depart later in the fall for Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Credit: DENVER ZOO

KUSA — Both of the the polar bears at the Denver Zoo are leaving the city in the coming weeks, the zoo announced on Tuesday. And while a release said the bears leaving is a "temporary departure," a zoo official told 9NEWS on Tuesday there is no timeline when polar bears will return to Denver.

“We don’t have immediate plans on when they will come back,” said Brian Aucone, senior vice president for animal sciences at the Denver Zoo.

Cranbeary, a 16-year-old female, will leave in October for The Alaska Zoo. Lee, her 18-year-old mate, will depart later in the fall for Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Both of the bears are leaving Denver at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan in the hopes they produce offspring with new mates.

According to the release, there are only 44 polar bears in North American zoos currently, and the species faces increasing threats in the wild.

Credit: Denver Zoo

"Denver Zoo is committed supporting the species and bringing polar bears back to the Zoo, which would require raising the necessary funds and sufficient time to plan for and construct a new, innovative exhibit," the release said.

Aucone told 9NEWS the zoo officials have "learned a lot over the years" the polar bear exhibit has been around, and they want to make improvements on what polar bears need before they return to Denver.

Despite the zoo's want for the bears to return, it's unclear when - or if - they ever will.

“We don’t have the details. The cost. We don’t have the timeline of when that will happen," Aucone said.

Denver Zoo’s two grizzly bears, Kootenai and Tundra, will move from Bear Mountain into the existing polar bear exhibit.

"The decision to relocate Cranbeary and Lee will benefit the welfare of both polar bears in the long run.” said Hollie Colahan, vice president for animal care at Denver Zoo.

If you'd like to say goodbye to Cranbeary and Lee, guests can visit the zoo and attend special "zookeeper talks" in front of the polar bear exhibit every Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. starting on October 6.

In 2010, the Denver Zoo lost 25-year-old Frosty the polar bear to cancer. The zoo said he was the oldest male polar bear living in captivity in North America

The Denver Zoo also lost another older polar bear in April of that year. Twenty-three-year-old Voda had renal disease and was also euthanized.

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