Tacoma zoo addresses concerns about ‘special needs’ polar bear after viral video
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s polar bear Laerke went viral over the weekend when a video of her behavior caused concern for some commenters.
Zoo staff told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the animal’s seemingly strange behavior is the result of her unique upbringing around humans and special needs.
A Tik Tok user identified as Ellyana posted a video on May 4 of Laerke repeatedly moving her head up and down while standing in her enclosure at the Point Defiance Zoo. Ellyana, who did not immediately return a request for comment from The News Tribune, asked viewers in the video if they knew whether the behavior was normal.
“I looked it up and it says that he feels threatened or stressed, but I have no clue,” she said in the video.
Ellyana said in a later video that she was worried that the bear did not have enough enrichment toys and that Laerke’s behavior could have indicated stress. The video garnered about 900,000 views two days after it was posted, and some commenters said the conditions were not normal and theorized the bear’s behavior could have been the result of stress.
Both in an interview with The News Tribune and a post on Tik Tok addressing the concerns, Malia Somerville, the zoo’s general curator, said Laerke’s behavior in the video is typical for her and not a cause for concern.
Somerville said the polar bear suffered a medical emergency when she was an infant at the Detroit Zoo that resulted in her spending more time with veterinarians and the Detroit Zoo staff than with her mother and twin sister Astra. Somerville said the Point Defiance Zoo staff doesn’t quite know what happened to her, but the time Laerke spent with her human caretakers has meant she’s smaller than her twin sister and received less attention from her mother.
“Laerke is a special bear, her behaviors are sort of atypical always because she sort of had that special upbringing,” Somerville said. “That’s why we wanted folks to understand that her behavior will always be different than her sister’s.”
The polar bear’s atypical behavior often manifests in repeated movement like the video depicted, and it seems to uptick around the spring, Somerville said.
“She’s just sort of a special needs bear because of things that we will maybe never understand that are going on inside her head and her body,” Somerville said. “But she’s been different, she’s been atypical since she was born, and we’re learning to work with her and accommodate her and give her the things she needs, even though it might be different than her sister.”
After her original post also drew widespread criticism from commenters who said she was spreading misinformation, Ellyana said in a later post that that was not her intent. She also posted an additional video later noting the Point Defiance Zoo’s response to concerns for Laerke, telling viewers to “let this be a learning opportunity if you ever witness similar behavior.”
Uproar for the bear’s condition resulted in a change.org petition that received over 4,000 signatures with several comments expressing concern for Laerke’s condition — though the petition had been closed by May 6. The petition starter did not return a request for comment.
While some on Tik Tok have expressed concern for Laerke, others have taken to posting videos of the zoo’s polar bears swimming, playing and seemingly enjoying their enclosure to convey that the bears are well cared for. Still others have referenced the video at the center of the controversy in jest, even overlaying the clip of Laerke’s repeated head motion with heavy metal music.
Somerville said she appreciates the concern for the zoo’s polar bears. Zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller said people can learn more at pdza.org/polarbearcare.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
