Polar bear Kallik says goodbye to Saint Louis Zoo

ST. LOUIS — A male polar bear is leaving the Saint Louis Zoo and heading across the country.

The zoo said Kallik will move to the Oregon Zoo in Portland later this fall.

"The moves are part of a comprehensive plan rolled out on Sept. 14, by members of the Polar Bear Population Alliance — a new consortium of Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoos and aquariums, including the Saint Louis Zoo, focused on maintaining a sustainable, genetically diverse polar bear population in the United States," the Saint Louis Zoo said in a news release.

Kallik and his twin brother, Kallu, were 2 years old when they arrived in St. Louis in March. The zoo exchanged them with then-12-year-old polar bear Kali with the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium as part of a breeding program to protect the species. K