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TUCSON - Reid Park Zoo officials today confirmed a female polar bear named "Snow" arrived in Tucson last night from SeaWorld Orlando. She is not yet visible to the public or media, but may be as early as next week.

Snow has been moved to Reid Park Zoo to try to address chronic skin allergies veterinarians hope may improve with a drier climate. The zoo tells us SeaWorld Orlando's animal care team has tried numerous treatments for her condition, but none seemed to provide long term benefits. The Reid Park Zoo has a history of working successfully with polar bear dermatitis issues.

Snow is a fully grown polar bear and weighs around 500 lbs. She was born in 1994 and was hand-raised at Denver Zoo, along with her brother Klondike, after their mother failed to care for them. The bears were donated to SeaWorld and moved there in 1995 under the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan. The cubs' plight attracted a high level of media and public attention. Books and films about the twin bears are still readily available.

Reid Park Zoo has are no immediate plans to acquire an additional polar bear. In the wild, polar bears are solitary and only mingle to breed. Due to her health concerns, veterinary attention and for Snow is a priority for Zoo staff. Therefore, maintaining a single polar bear in the exhibit for now will allow keepers to focus on her care.

Photo credit: SeaWorld Orlando