12 December 2000, Tuesday - 300 birthday cake, one HUGE ice-sculpture with fruits frozen within, balloons, streamers, goodie bags, presents, prizes and of course, the Zoo's two big white polar bears - all vital ingredients for Inuka's mega birthday bash this Sunday (17 December 2000), as the first and only polar bear born and bred in the tropics turns 10!

Everyone in the country is invited to join in the celebration!

The birthday bash, sponsored by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) who is Inuka's foster parent since 1991, will revolve around the juvenile polar bear, who is Singapore's pride and joy as well as one of the more recognizable stars of the Singapore Zoo.

Birthday celebration will start at 11am, which will include singing of the birthday song, a cake cutting ceremony and giving Inuka his very own birthday treat - a giant ice sculpture with his favourite fruits frozen within. Guests will be amused and awed by the sheer might of the 450kg bear as he tears through the ice and feast on his birthday gift with delight. There will also be a special feeding session to educate guests on this magnificent mammal and to hopefully inspire them to appreciate (if not save) what little we have of them left in the world.

There will be games and activities all through the afternoon with prizes and presents for everyone to celebrate this truly joyous occasion. SPH will also be giving away 1000 limited-edition Inuka notebooks. Guests will also be given the opportunity to be 'photographed' with either Inuka or mother Sheba, using super-imposed digital photography.

The first 300 guests will enter the Zoo free with cut-out coupons from the advertisements in The Straits Times/The Sunday Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Minggu, The New Paper on Sunday and Streats. The other guests will receive a 25% discount off the admission fee with the cut-out coupon. Each coupon is entitled for entry of five persons.

The Zoo is all set for the party and estimates a turn up of 5000 people at the birthday bash this Sunday.

17 December, Sunday at 10.30am at the Singapore Zoo

The programme for the day is as follows:
10.30am Fun with Balloon Sculptures
11.00am Birthday Ceremony
11.30am Tea Reception & digital photography
1.00pm Polar Bear feeding
1.15pm 'Design a Birthday Card for Inuka' contest
1.45pm Games, games and more games
3.30pm End

Editor's note:

Inuka was born on 26 December 1990. This was yet another testimony of Zoo's highly successful breeding programme and arguably one of the most popular and recognizable stars of the Zoo. Inuka has graced the covers of countless wildlife magazines.

SPH has been its proud foster parent for the past 10 years.

Inuka was born to father Nanook and mother Sheba. His birth made front-line news during the festive season and fellow Singaporeans shared this joy by helping the Zoo name the new-born.

The 450kg juvenile is known to have an insatiable appetite for fish, bread loaves and fruits. During feeding times - being the juvenile that he is - he is known to snatch food greedily from mother Sheba, who usually gives in to her only boy. Keepers have also termed Inuka as 'obedient', as he would do anything - from jumping, ringing a bell, waving and even dancing - for a bite of its favourite food. Still a child, Inuka still suckles from Sheba on most mornings.


Issued by SINGAPORE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, 12 December 2000