The one and only Inuka

by Alan John, Quek Hong Shin (Illustrator)

There will never be another Singapore Zoo attraction as delightful or instantly lovable as Inuka, the first polar bear born in the tropics. Inuka was born in Singapore on 26 December 1990 and was a star from the first time he appeared in public as a baby bear, splashing in his pool alongside his mother Sheba. He was playful, loved to bask in the sunshine, swim in his pool and entertain himself by stacking tyres or playing with his favourite traffic cone. Thousands of children - and adults - came to see him over the years, especially on his birthday when he tucked into his birthday cake of ice, fruits, berries, fish and cream frosting. When Inuka died on 25 April 2018, he was well into his 70s in polar bear years. In The One And Only Inuka, artist Quek Hong Shin and writer Alan John remember this very special polar bear, with love and fond memories.

Genres: Picture Books

Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Alan John was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1953 and attended St John’s Institution and the University of Malaya before starting as a reporter at The New Straits Times in 1976. He moved to Singapore in 1980 and spent the next 35 years at The Straits Times. He headed various parts of Singapore’s main English-language daily before becoming deputy editor, the position he held when he left in 2015. He is married with two children. This is his second book. Unholy Trinity, which appeared in 1989, retold the sensational case of the Adrian Lim child killings that gripped Singapore in the early 1980s.