Vic Ryckaert

Indianapolis Star

Tundra, a 29-year-old female polar bear currently at the Indianapolis Zoo, is moving to the Detroit Zoo.

Indianapolis Zoo officials say the 28-year-old polar bear exhibit is in need of an upgrade, which means the enclosure's lone resident will be moved to the Detroit Zoo.

"The zoo’s veterinary staff carefully reviewed all of the options and agree that the Detroit Zoo is the perfect facility for Tundra’s needs as a senior bear," Indy Zoo said in an e-mail to its members. "The Detroit Zoo offers large spaces and pools with easy slopes for Tundra to enter and exit the water, especially as she gets older."

Tundra has called the Indy Zoo home since 1988, the year it opened its polar bear exhibit. Crowds gather often at her enclosure, which features rocky ledges, a swimming pond and underwater observation windows.

Tundra will move sometime after June 22 and join the Detroit Zoo's Arctic Ring of Life exhibit, where two polar bears — Talini and Nuka — currently reside.

Female Talini was born at the Detroit Zoo in 2004 and can be identified by the scar on her nose.

Male Nuka, also born in 2004, arrived in 2011 as a potential mate for Talini.

“The Arctic Ring of Life is an incredible facility for this polar bear to spend the remainder of her golden years,” said Scott Carter, chief life sciences officer for the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS). “She will receive the best possible care during her time here and enjoy the comforts of this expansive, naturalistic space.”

The Arctic Ring of Life is one of North America’s largest polar bear habitats, according to the Detroit Zoo's website.

In the wild, polar bears have an average life span of 15 to 18 years, according to the Detroit Zoo. In captivity, as is the case with many animals, polar bears tend to live longer due to the health care and nutrition provided by veterinarians and animal care staff, the zoo said.

The four-acre Arctic Ring of Life, which opened in 2001, is one of the largest habitats for polar bears in North America, the zoo said. The bears have access to a grassy tundra, a freshwater pool, a “pack ice” area and a 190,000-gallon saltwater pool, as well as an indoor holding area. The facility also houses arctic foxes and seals.

Vic Ryckaert is a reporter for the Indianapolis Star. Call him at 317-444-2701.

Detroit Free Press writer Elissa Robinson contributed to this report. ​ ​