SALISBURY, Md. -Sinchi along with a few members from the Salisbury Zoo made the trip to Philadelphia early
morning. Zoo officials in Philadelphia will make the determination as to when Sinchi officially goes on display at the Philadelphia Zoo. Prior to Sinchi's departure, Caleb Oliver, one of the bear keepers in Salisbury, said the young bear will certainly be missed in the zoo and on Delmarva. "Of course they've gotten attached," Oliver said. "He's a sweet bear and they've got a lot of personality." Sinchi's departure was a necessary one for a couple of reasons. First, in nature, Andean Bear cubs will separate from their mothers after about a year. So, Sinchi, and his mother Chaska, could no longer co-exist at the Salisbury Zoo. Second, Sinchi is a new vitally important piece in the Andean bear genetic pool. Sinchi's father, Pinocchio, was brought to Delmarva from Ecuador back in November of 2017. Members of the Salisbury Zoo went to South America to bring Pinocchio back to the peninsula to introduce his wild Andean bear genetics into the captive bear gene pool here in the United States. Once Pinocchio and Chaska had a cub, the Ecuador trip instantly became a success story. And now, with Sinchi's move to Philadelphia, the plan will be for Sinchi to have his own cub in a couple of years when he reaches maturity. "They know that their options are pretty broad. Since he's got those new genetics, they are really excited about getting his genes in the gene pool now too in their captive breeding program," Oliver said. A new bear with new genetics is a big deal in Andean Bear conservation. So, what comes next for Salisbury's bears, Pinocchio and Chaska. Oliver told WBOC that Salisbury Zoo officials are working with zoos around the country to determine what's best for the Andean Bear species. There are only 18 locations in the United States with Andean Bears. Oliver added the plan would be either this year or next, for Pinocchio and Chaska to try for another cub at the Salisbury Zoo.
