On International Polar Bear Day, Anana enjoys a spring makeover

ASHEBORO — North Carolina Zoo guests angling for a sighting of the polar bear got a whiff of spring when they went down into Rocky Coast’s ice cave.

International Polar Bear Day fell on Feb. 27, and coinciding with that, the Zoo partnered with the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) to display a weekend floral arrangement. It was part of NCMA’s annual fundraiser “Art in Bloom.”

Purple, blue, orange and off-white petals trailed down the walls around Anana the polar bear’s cave, mimicking flowing water. Signs explained how the colors and arrangement were chosen to evoke the way light reflects off of Arctic ice as well as the forces that shape and change frozen landscapes.

However, the flowing flowers, while beautiful, could hardly compete with the main and oft elusive attraction. On Saturday morning, shouts filled the ice cave when Anana made her appearance. Cries of “It’s here!” and “It’s coming this way!” guided children who pressed their hands to the glass for a closer look.

Anana, who turns 26 this year, is now entering her senior years. She was born in captivity at a zoo in Rochester, New York, and moved to North Carolina in 2014 after the Zoo built a new 2.5-acre exhibit space with a stream, pool and cave for her to relax and, they hoped, eventually raise some cubs. Staff introduced Anana to male companions Nikita and Payton, but they produced no cubs. She’s been solitary since Payton died in 2023.

International Polar Bear Day is meant to inspire conservation efforts around mothers and cubs. Polar Bears International states that, on average, only about half of cubs reach adulthood. The organization emphasizes its research into protecting dens where newborns are raised until spring.

Asheboro is one stop for floral artwork

Laura Finan, director of Stewardship and Special Initiatives at NCMA, said the theme for this year’s “Art in Bloom” fundraiser is the zodiac. Four artworks will be placed around the museum and three of its partner institutions. The Zoo’s installation was made by Blossom Betty’s Floral Design Co. of Greensboro and was based on the zodiac sign for water.

It was the first to go up in this year’s “Art in Bloom” series. The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center showcased its work with the theme “fire” on Feb. 28. Finan said artists apply to take part in December.

“I’m really grateful for our other state institutions,” Finan said, “to be able 

to showcase the things that we can do together in North Carolina. It’s such a large state, and we have this opportunity to work with each other.”

The third and fourth installations will be held in Raleigh. “Earth” will be at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on March 7, and NCMA will display “air” on March 14.

“Art in Bloom” will culminate in the fundraiser and a festival at NCMA from March 18-22, with 14 gallery installations based on the zodiac signs and more than 50 floral artists participating.