Efforts to raise Rochester's polar bear population were unsuccessful after a polar bear at the Seneca Park Zoo failed to become pregnant through artificial insemination.

The zoo teamed up with the Cincinnati zoo’s center for Conservation and Endangered Wildlife back in March. Together, they took the sperm from the zoo’s male polar bear, Zero, and performed the world’s first artificial insemination on the female polar bear Aurora.

Today the zoo announced the procedure was unsuccessful.

Polar bears are currently listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

"There's a couple reasons why we chose to do that. One, there's a very definite need to increase the populatin of polar bears in human care, as representatives of their species so we can get the message out about polar bear conservation etc," said Larry Sorel, zoo director.

On the day before Valentine's Day, zoo officials say they will begin injecting Aurora with low doses of hormones, and let nature take its course from there.