{"id":216458,"date":"2023-08-30T09:56:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.wpengine.com\/?page_id=216458"},"modified":"2025-12-11T14:43:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:43:33","slug":"polar-bear","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/","title":{"rendered":"Polar Bear Signature Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Saving Polar Bears<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Polar bears in zoos serve as insurance against species extinction, a reservoir for genetic material, and a tractable population to learn more about the behavior and physiology of these sizable, yet elusive species. A recent large-scale study revealed that visitors consistently ranked polar bears in the top twenty charismatic animals at zoos making them among the favorite animals to visit. These findings are not surprising: bears are highly intelligent, entertaining to watch, and often are marketed as the faces of wildlife conservation campaigns, fostering a sense of familiarity.<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, they serve as exemplary ambassadors for educating zoo visitors about habitat loss, climate change, and human-wildlife conflict. CREW\u2019s Polar Bear Signature Project tackles challenges facing polar bear populations to improve reproductive success, health and longevity, and genetic diversity. Because research on wild bears is logistically challenging and costly, information gained from zoo bears provides insight into how wild populations are coping with a changing environment.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists at CREW focus on developing and implementing innovative monitoring techniques while addressing biologically relevant questions important to the conservation of wild bears. They have partnered with over 35 zoological institutions around the world, as well as organizations such as <a title=\"Polar Bears International\" href=\"https:\/\/polarbearsinternational.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Polar Bears International<\/a>, that are committed to the conservation of this species.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<section class=\"image-carousel carousel-slider swipe aos col-span-12\">\n        <ul class=\"image-carousel__slides carousel-slides\" data-si=\"0\" data-pointer data-pointer-state=\"swipe\"><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/credit-Lisa-Hubbard-scaled.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/credit-Lisa-Hubbard-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1433;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/24283933441_916c9fbfb8_o-scaled.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/24283933441_916c9fbfb8_o-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1707;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/26680674637_d6f6554b23_b.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/26680674637_d6f6554b23_b.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/716;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LO.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LO.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1650px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1650\/1275;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><\/ul><nav class=\"image-carousel__navs carousel-controls\"><span class=\"prev-slide\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"previous\" title=\"previous\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/source\/assets\/icons\/ui\/arrow-styled-left.svg\" alt=\"image pointing left\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/span><div class=\"image-carousel__navs-scroller\"><ul class=\"image-carousel__indices carousel-indices\"><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index active lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/credit-Lisa-Hubbard-scaled.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/24283933441_916c9fbfb8_o-scaled.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/26680674637_d6f6554b23_b.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LO.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><span class=\"next-slide\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"next\" title=\"next\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/source\/assets\/icons\/ui\/arrow-styled-right.svg\" alt=\"image pointing left\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/span><\/nav><\/section>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<a class=\"button\" data-aos=\"fade-up\" href=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/donate-to-crew\/\" target=\"_blank\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"\" title=\"\">Donate to the Polar Bear Signature Project<\/a>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<a class=\"button\" data-aos=\"fade-up\" href=\"http:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-are-Zoo-Bears-Helping-Wild-Bears.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"\" title=\"\">How Zoo Bears Help Wild Bears<\/a>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=&#8221;hide&#8221; el_class=&#8221;hide&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;]<section class=\"image-carousel carousel-slider swipe aos col-span-12\">\n        <ul class=\"image-carousel__slides carousel-slides\" data-si=\"0\" data-pointer data-pointer-state=\"swipe\"><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/polar-bear-erin-curry-e1582748524761.png&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/polar-bear-erin-curry-e1582748524761.png\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 512px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 512\/305;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/39360173190_25e35d66b0_b.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/39360173190_25e35d66b0_b.jpg\" alt=\"polar bear\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 683px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 683\/1024;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/38870956885_ac87cae0de_b.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/38870956885_ac87cae0de_b.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/681;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/polar-bear-ai.png&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/polar-bear-ai.png\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 219px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 219\/293;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/polar2small.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/polar2small.jpg\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 800px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 800\/703;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__slides-item carousel-slide\">\n        <figure class=\"image-carousel__slides-item__image lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg&#039;)\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"screen-reader-text lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Polar bear swimming\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2560\/1812;\" \/>\n        <\/figure><\/li><\/ul><nav class=\"image-carousel__navs carousel-controls\"><span class=\"prev-slide\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"previous\" title=\"previous\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/source\/assets\/icons\/ui\/arrow-styled-left.svg\" alt=\"image pointing left\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/span><div class=\"image-carousel__navs-scroller\"><ul class=\"image-carousel__indices carousel-indices\"><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index active lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/polar-bear-erin-curry-e1582748524761.png&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/39360173190_25e35d66b0_b.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/38870956885_ac87cae0de_b.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/polar-bear-ai.png&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/polar2small.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><li class=\"image-carousel__indices-item carousel-index lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" data-bg-image=\"url(&#039;https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg&#039;)\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><span class=\"next-slide\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"next\" title=\"next\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/source\/assets\/icons\/ui\/arrow-styled-right.svg\" alt=\"image pointing left\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/span><\/nav><\/section>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<a class=\"button\" title=\"How Zoo Bears Help Wild Bears\" href=\"http:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-are-Zoo-Bears-Helping-Wild-Bears.pdf\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">How Zoo Bears Help Wild Bears<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text] Saving Polar Bears [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Polar bears in zoos serve as insurance against species extinction, a reservoir for genetic material, and a tractable population to learn more about the behavior and physiology of these sizable, yet elusive species. A recent large-scale study revealed that visitors consistently ranked polar bears in the top twenty charismatic animals [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":199178,"parent":84,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-216458","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text] Saving Polar Bears [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Polar bears in zoos serve as insurance against species extinction, a reservoir for genetic material, and a tractable population to learn more about the behavior and physiology of these sizable, yet elusive species. A recent large-scale study revealed that visitors consistently ranked polar bears in the top twenty charismatic animals [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-11T20:43:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1812\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/\",\"name\":\"Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-30T15:56:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-11T20:43:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1812,\"caption\":\"Polar bear swimming\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Conservation\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Polar Bear Signature Project\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/\",\"name\":\"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden\",\"description\":\"Inspiring everyone with wildlife every day!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-CZBG-full-whitetrim_expanded_Shadow_R-cropped.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-CZBG-full-whitetrim_expanded_Shadow_R-cropped.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo","og_description":"[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text] Saving Polar Bears [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Polar bears in zoos serve as insurance against species extinction, a reservoir for genetic material, and a tractable population to learn more about the behavior and physiology of these sizable, yet elusive species. A recent large-scale study revealed that visitors consistently ranked polar bears in the top twenty charismatic animals [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/","og_site_name":"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden","article_modified_time":"2025-12-11T20:43:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1812,"url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/","name":"Polar Bear Signature Project | Cincinnati Zoo","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-08-30T15:56:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-11T20:43:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Polar-bear-3-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1812,"caption":"Polar bear swimming"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/polar-bear\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Conservation","item":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife","item":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/conservation\/crew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Polar Bear Signature Project"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/","name":"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden","description":"Inspiring everyone with wildlife every day!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#organization","name":"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-CZBG-full-whitetrim_expanded_Shadow_R-cropped.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-CZBG-full-whitetrim_expanded_Shadow_R-cropped.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Cincinnati Zoo &amp; Botanical Garden"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216458\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/84"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}