Toronto 
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will soon welcome two polar bears from Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Credit: Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo
This fall, two male polar bears, “Baffin” and “Siku,” will be transferred from Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo to the newly developed polar bear habitat at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo as part of the redeveloped Wild Canada zone.
Per the news release, both “Baffin” (6 years) and “Siku” (7 years) were orphaned at a very young age, less than a year old, and were identified as suitable candidates for transfer to the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Conservation officers discovered them wandering alone in the Churchill area, confirming their status as orphans. Recognizing that polar bear cubs less than a year old cannot survive on their own, it was decided to bring them into human care.
The decision to transfer “Baffin” and “Siku” was made after careful consideration of their individual personalities and the dynamics of the current polar bear group at Assiniboine Park Zoo. Both bears get along well with each other, and it is expected that they will thrive in the smaller group setting at Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. Here, they will receive ample individual attention and interaction from dedicated caregivers and visitors.
Jamie Dorgan, Interim Chief Operating Officer of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, said, “The transfer of these polar bears to the world-class polar bear habitat at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo represents the efforts of numerous passionate and dedicated teams in conservation-focused zoos and government. Human-caused climate change is threatening polar bear habitat. ”
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s polar bear habitat was constructed with input from industry professionals and polar bear care experts from Assiniboine Park Zoo, renowned for its award-winning Journey to Churchill exhibit and Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre.
According to Calgary Zoo, the resulting habitat is world-class, designed to encourage natural behaviours, provide cognitive challenges, and stimulate play. It features expansive tree-filled grassy meadows, rock features, several pools of varying depths, a wading stream, and an unobstructed view of the horizon.
Generous investments from the Taylor Family Foundation, other donors, and various levels of government made the polar bear habitat at Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo possible.
The habitat will open to the public as part of the Wild Canada grand reopening on Saturday, December 1st, 2023.
