Happy birthday to you, dear Sisu!
Nov 21st, 2020 | By mervi | Category: Ranua 202021.11.2020 by Mervi, Photos by Marko Junttila
The 21st of November 2016 was a happy day in the Ranua Wildlife Park. Polar bear lady Venus gave birth to a tiny cub. The park announced the news only in January when the cub had made it through the first critical weeks. What a happy day that was for me!
The cub was a boy and in mid March Venus decided to present her precious baby to the media and the visitors.
Sisu was immediately very interested in the surroundings. In this photo it seems that he’s checking that the walls of the enclosure are strong enough. 🙂
It was snowing during Sisu’s first outing so Venus had a perfect timing for the presentation of her son.
Living in Ranua in north of Finland Sisu could enjoy the snow until May.
Tender moments with mama
Sisu has always been a self confident polar bear boy. I think he walks with very determined steps! 🙂
I had the pleasure of meeting Venus and Sisu ‘live’ in May 2017. I guess I don’t have to tell you I was in seventh heaven when I was standing at their enclosure admiring them.
The ball we brought to Sisu was, naturally, broken in seconds flat but he loved to play with it anyway. 🙂 The black tyre was a favourite, too.
Because I’m a Winter lover I’ve been happy to publish so many snowy photos of Sisu in this magazine. There are so many of them that it was difficult to choose among them but here’s a little collection.
Oh bear, what a big snow ball!
The ice is thick enough to carry the weigh of a polar bear. When this photo was taken Sisu already looked quite impressive ….
…. but still a cute little cubbie! I love those paws!
This photo is one my absolute favourites. The snow on the licorice nose – isn’t that cute!
Salmon is a polar bear’s best friend – next to mama, of course …. 🙂
This is Sisu’s famour seal imitation. He masters the big ball with great brilliance!
Even smaller balls are fun to play with.
The gigantic pearl string made him very happy, too.
Brrrrr, sometimes the icy photos made me freeze but I know Sisu thought the temperature in the water was just right.
The long Winter in Ranua is very suitable for polar bears.
What a beautiful photo of a mother and her son!
A singing lesson? 🙂
Sisu grew bigger and bigger and so the day came when it was time for Venus to kiss her son goodbye. They both still live close to each other but separately.
Winter if fantastic but Summer isn’t so bad either ….
Nice table manners
This time of the year the first snow has fallen and the pool is freezing.
Sisu is going to be as big as papa Manasse and the big brother Ranzo. Big balls are no challenges!
We’re having a severe corona situation in the whole world and Sisu’s contribution to help us fight the evil virus is this elegant mask.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Always be a happy bear whatever your future will be. If you will move from Ranua I hope you will go to a zoo where I can keep following your life.
I wish you and mama Venus a real Winter with lots of snow!
ONCE AGAIN – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET SISU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVELY SISU !
Be always happy and healthy .. and
enjoy the wonderful snow !!!!!
Your Friend ARON from France.
SISU hat sich zu einem tollen Bären
entwickelt und dank der großartigen
Fotos von Marko konnten wir seine
Entwicklung bis heute verfolgen…
🙂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🙂
Dear Marko and Mervi
I have a little Sisu that Teddybaerenmutti and vati sent me so this is a very special day.
I imagine that there is enough room for you to stay in Ranua. But maybe in a few years time you will be old enough to travel.
Liebe Mervi,
auch von mir herzliche Glückwünsche zum Geburtstag von SISU, dem Herzensbrecher,
kein Wunder, dass du so verliebt in ihn bist.
Dank deiner guten Kontakte habe wir sein Auswachsen in allen Phasen sehr intensiv
miterleben können mit den fantastischen Bildern von Marko!
Leider lebt SISU mit seiner Mutter sehr isoliert und wir sind gespannt, wohin er eines Tages
reisen wird. Hoffentlich nicht so weit, damit wir ihn nicht aus den Augen verlieren.
Herzliche Grüße
Britta-Gudrun
Thank you very much dear Mervi and Marko.
Happy birthday dear Sisu. Best wishes to you.
dear Mervi,
thank you so much for this wonderful birthday page for Sisu, all the pictures are very lovely, I can understand you remember so well the touchiing moments when you have seen Sisu and Mana live in Ranua.
dear Sisu, happy birthday and all the best to you for now and for your future.Enjoy a good autumn and winter fime in your home Finland,, I am glad you have your good friend Marko, with his pictures we can see, that you are now a great looking young Polar bear boy or neary Polar bear man
dear greetings and paw waves
Filomena
Dear Mervi and Marko!
What a nice and affectionate birthday tribute for this charming bearboy!
Thank you!
Sisu evolved from a sweet and fluffy polar bear baby to an attractive and fun-loving teenager and the photos Marko took showed this development perfectly. I loved them all, especially those with Sisu in a beautiful winterly landscape.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SISU!
I wish you a happy, healthy and long life.
Hugs
Anke
Happy Birthday, dear Sisu!
Mervi: Ein wunderschöner Geburtstagsglückwunsch(-Beitrag) ist das. Hab herzlichen Dank dafür!
LG Annemarie
Dear Merko and Mervi!
Thank you for the pictures of Sisu and his mother.
Happy Birthday, dear Sisu!
You had a wonderful time with your mother. Now you are a big boy and need a girl friend very soon.
Hugs
Ludmila
Happy Birthday, dear Sisu!!!
You were an adorable little bear and you have become an adorable teenager.
I wish you all the best, lots of snow and lots of fun!
Thank you, dear Mervi for this wonderful brithday threat!!
Hugs
Anita
Alles Gute, lieber Sisu! Du bist ja ein wunderschoener grosser Baer geworden.
Liebe Mervi!
Danke fuer diese wunderschoenen Bilder von Sisu. Und die Maske ist echt cool, die haette ich auch gerne.
Liebe Gruesse, Erika
MERVI – You have chosen lots of fantastic photographs and I love them all.
Anyway, I believe my favourite is “Nice table manners” this time.
Your comments are also appreciated and loved – as usual (not only by me I guess).
Dear wonderful SISU, I wish you well and all the best.
“LUCK and HEALTH and FUN!” to you for the fifth year of your life (fff) –
and to your mama and anybear and -body else that’s precious to you.
Included is of course your faithful auntie Mervi!
For a not known to me reason I made a note in my year diary for SISU’s 4th birthday for today.
Just before I started to write a little note in ‘Die KNUIPE’, I got puzzled because in the background of my brains (if any!) the grey material shoed RED, and I thought I had read something like ‘Happy birtday’-wishes for SISU not far from today.
When I mad a search in the net I found this nice article which may also a pleasure for you ALL/e to see and read, most of all to MERVI I guess:
https://finlandnaturally.com/destinations/polar-bears-in-finland-really/
I am afraid those misshaps will occure to me again and again. Luckily it’s only embarasssing and no ‘Beinbruch 😉
Seems there are even more mixing up the 21st and the 25th of November as SISU’s birthday-date:
https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/news/polar-bear-cub-born-ranua-zoo/
😉
Dear Dumba,
There are two dates of birth ‘announced’ and I chose the 21st of November. However, our sweet boy can be celebrated twice! Just like Raspi. 🙂