Pittsburgh Zoo Officials Hoping Beagle Sniffs Out Polar Bear Pregnancy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Kobe the polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium might be pregnant.
Or not.
Polar bears are so big that it's hard to tell without getting closer than you should.
But Curator of Aquatic Life Dwayne Biggs says the polar bear pregnancy test is a job for Elvis.
"This great little beagle in Kansas City has got this knack for sniffing bear poop, and indicating whether they're pregnant or not," he says.
Working for zoos across the country, the 2-year-old beagle boasts a 97 percent success rate.
"They have this board, and these little discs on the board, and they have samples in there," Biggs explains. "And he'll walk around and get excited. He'll sit down and look at his owner and give out a little bark, and he's indicating that sample's good."
There won't be any Elvis sightings here in Pittsburgh.
The samples are actually sent to a zoo in Cincinnati, which then sends them on to Kansas City, where Elvis does his work.
With a shrinking habitat, polar bears in the wild are endangered. Only 45 exist in captivity, nationwide. Needless to say, the zoo is rooting for Kobe.
"We sent our samples in and we're anxiously waiting to see what Elvis has to say," Biggs adds.
When Elvis gets to work, the nose always knows.
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