11/02/2026
🐻❄️ Polar Bear International's Polar Bear Week is November 1 -7, and we’re kicking it off with hopes for what could be a special winter at Como!
Could cubs be in Astra’s future? We know many of you are wondering, and so are we! There are encouraging signs, but we can’t confirm a pregnancy just yet.
Polar Bears International created Polar Bear Week to coincide with the annual gathering of polar bears near Churchill, Canada. There, bears wait for sea ice to form on Hudson Bay so they can return to hunting seals. It’s an opportunity to learn about these amazing animals and the sea ice they depend on.
Here at Como, our animal care team is helping Astra prepare for a possible denning season. Between March and September, she gained 160 pounds, building the fat reserves female polar bears need to support a pregnancy and care for cubs during their first months in the den. She’s also spending more time sleeping and settling into her den. These are encouraging signs, though they don’t confirm that cubs are on the way.
There’s no pregnancy test for polar bears, and their thick layer of blubber makes confirming a pregnancy with ultrasound difficult. For now, we have to wait and see.
Our team has prepared a quiet denning suite separate from Kulu, Neil, and Nan. Updated cameras allow keepers to monitor Astra while giving her the privacy and calm she needs.
If Astra is pregnant, she would most likely give birth in late November or December. Newborn polar bears weigh only about a pound and depend completely on their mothers for warmth, nourishment, and protection. Those early weeks are especially fragile, and first-time mothers face additional challenges. Astra would be a first-time mom, so we’re balancing our hopes with realistic expectations.
As Polar Bear Week begins, we’re celebrating Astra, Kulu, Neil, and Nan and the connections they help us make to their wild counterparts. Whatever this winter brings, Astra’s wellbeing comes first.
