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The wait to meet the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s new Arctic icons is officially over.
On Friday at 11 a.m., Calgarians will be able to see polar bears Baffin and Siku for the first time, when the newly renovated Wild Canada zone officially opens to the public.
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The two male polar bears have been settling in at their new sanctuary in Calgary since transferring from Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo in October. Their new home is a $11.5-million habitat that features two acres of tree-filled meadows, a five-metre-deep plunge pool, a series of dens and rock fixtures, and a shallow pool for the bears to wade in.
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Orphaned when they were cubs, Baffin and Siku were spotted wandering near Churchill, Man., by conservation officers. Deemed too young to survive in the wild on their own, they were transported to the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at Winnipeg’s zoo.
After six years living alongside seven other polar bears, Winnipeg zoo officials identified that Baffin and Siku would benefit from a smaller group setting. The decision to relocate the pair to Calgary was made “taking into consideration the dynamics of the current group and the bears’ individual personalities,” according to a previous news release from the Calgary Zoo.
The pair were transported to Calgary in mid-October via WestJet Cargo.
Facts about polar bears, courtesy of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo
Polar bears do not hibernate.Polar bears can smell prey from up to a kilometre away.A polar bear’s paw can measure 12 inches across.Under their fur, polar bears have black skin to absorb heat.Polar bears’ fur is technically translucent, not white.
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