Imagine a FedEx delivery person showing up on your doorstep with an 850-pound polar bear and saying, "Can you sign for this?"
That's essentially what happened to the St. Louis Zoo on May 8. Kali, a 2-year-old male polar bear was delivered to the zoo from Rochester, New York, courtesy of FedEx. Kali had been living at the Buffalo Zoo since 2013.
Kali's day-long journey began on a FedEx express flight to Memphis with the St. Louis Zoo's veterinarian. He was then transferred to a temperature-controlled truck to finish the trip to St. Louis, where he arrived at the 40,000-square-foot habitat he will call home.
"FedEx is committed to the conservation of at-risk animal populations, and we're proud to have played a part in Kali's journey," said Neil Gibson, the vice president of corporate communications at FedEx.
According to the St. Louis Zoo's press release, Kali will spend the next 30 days in a quarantine period, becoming acclimated to his new habitat and diet. The public will be able to see Kali on June 6.