PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When it comes to keeping cool, one needn’t look further than the local polar bears at the Oregon Zoo.
On Friday, the Oregon Zoo took to Twitter to share a video of Nora the polar bear enjoying a refreshing watermelon in the sun.
Typically, you wouldn’t associate polar bears and watermelon, but while they are mainly meat eaters, the zoo said that in the wild polar bears will forage for vegetation and berries when they are in season.
The zoo’s two polar bears, Nora and her half-sister Amelia Gray, get to enjoy crunchy lettuce and on occasion, such as Friday, they get to enjoy a fresh watermelon.
The bears also have plenty of options to keep cool when it gets hot outside including chilled saltwater pools, shade structures, a snow pile and access to indoor AC and a cooling cave.
Despite their icy name, the zoo says that even polar bears like to sunbathe from time to time.
Looking cute eating watermelon isn’t the only thing Nora and Amelia are good at though, the pair are also scientists.
“We still have gaps in understanding how climate change is affecting wild polar bears, and it’s essential that the bears in human care help scientists learn more about their species,” said Amy Cutting, vice president of conservation for Polar Bears International. “Zoo bears are perfect candidates to help because they already participate in many health-care behaviors voluntarily and seem to find those experiences enriching.”
Nora and Amelia have both lent a paw and helped scientists understand how many calories wild polar bears need and they helped test a “bear laser” that could allow for safe non-invasive monitoring in the wild.
According to the zoo, Amelia was also one of only a few polar bears outfitted with a “Burr on Fur” that helps conservations track wild bears.
All of this just goes to show that these hard-working ladies deserve a day off every now and then to enjoy a nice juicy watermelon.
Watch Nora enjoy her tasty treat below:
