Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park 2023

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Orcinus Orca said:
And it's finally revealed! The new tundra habitat is reportedly the largest of its kind for Polar Bears in Europe. It seems sadly however that one of the Bears passed prior to their journey to the UK. There's also brief mention in the instagram post today of another Bear that is being rescued in the near future.. Not a Polar, but a Brown Bear! :eek:

Jimmy Doherty on Instagram: "We are delighted to announce the arrival of our first polar bears here at Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park. ‍❄️ A journey that started with a request for help. We were made aware of the imminent closure of Orsa Predator Park in Sweden that has recently been sold to developers. The staff in Sweden were ordered to dispense of all animals & any that could not be removed were to be put to sleep. We knew we had no other choice but to help. This was a rescue mission and a race against time. We have now constructed a world class facility, Europe’s largest polar bear reserve. The first of its kind in the south of England for three decades. Like all rescue missions, total success is not guaranteed. Despite all the efforts of experts from around the world we have suffered the loss of one of the bears before she arrived in her new home. Upon veterinary post-mortem it was established that the bear had an unknown heart condition from an early age that sadly meant she passed away. That we couldn’t save both bears, is incredibly sad. However we must celebrate the fact that we have now saved Ewa! I want to thank our team in the UK, the team in Sweden, national & international experts, wonderful construction teams & providers, in achieving what, at times, seemed the impossible. Ewa has now found her forever home with us here at Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park. She is joining the UK’s largest pack of Arctic wolves as well our resident herd of reindeer in a new development that has open pastures, beautiful woodland, deep ponds & lakes. It is an area that we have called the ‘Lost Lands of the Tundra.’ It is our aim to highlight the importance of one of the world’s most beautiful but fastest disappearing habitats. We can’t wait to share it with you all when it opens on 21st October 2023. Our mission doesn’t stop here. There are many more animals that need our help. We are already taking steps to save another incredibly individual. His name is Diego… a beautiful brown bear, who is on borrowed time. If you want to help you can simply watch our documentary, ‘Big Bear Rescue’ which you can download it by clicking the link in our bio. Jimmy x"

The Lost Lands of the Tundra. Polar Bears, Artic Wolves, Reindeer
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Framing this as a rescue mission is a bit silly, fortunately other zoos that received animals from Orsa are more mature.
 
I'm a bit lost, was there 3 bears & 1 died or 2 bears & 1 died?
 
dillotest0 said:
I do feel that the accompanying video was somewhat overly dramatic.
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I imagine it is kinda just to push that documentary they have coming out.. It is a bad situation, but I doubt it was as urgent as they made it out to be. Either way, it’s great that the bear has a permanent home.

Embu said:
I'm a bit lost, was there 3 bears & 1 died or 2 bears & 1 died?
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From what I can tell, two bears were to be brought over from Sweden; Ewa and Mika. It seems though that Mika was the bear who passed away, as it’s only Ewa present at the park.
 
It's great to see the Orsa animals relocated to new homes in the different places they have gone to. And good news for the UK with another polar bear holder.

The over the top social media 'drama' about this relocation speaks to a bit of a sad moment - it makes it appear (though I doubt this is the case in reality) that Jimmy's farm don't believe Polar bears are wonderful, exciting and amazing in their own right. Nature of the world we live in I suppose. And part of the reason these animals are endangered in the first place. Unless it's a bear named Bert on roller skates being saved from a guillotine it doesn't get 'clicks'.

Prefer the way Peak styled it.

It'll be fun to go and see the new bear and the wolves all the same though and good on the zoo for having the investment and opportunity to create something great. Look forward to seeing it.
 
Wonderful news. It's been great to see Polar Bears become more common in the UK as of late, but as the three previous holders are so far north, it was also a bit frustrating. Now there is a Polar Bear just 100 kilometres away. I will have to try to figure out how to get from London to Ipswich for a day trip soon.

I agree with the criticisms towards the marketing approach, and also find it a bit sad that, with Mika's unfortunate passing, Europe's largest Polar Bear enclosure will be devoted to just one bear - hopefully more arrive in the future, such as (as was suggested in another thread) the male from Peak WP when he matures.
 
Kalaw said:
Wonderful news. It's been great to see Polar Bears become more common in the UK as of late, but as the three previous holders are so far north, it was also a bit frustrating. Now there is a Polar Bear just 100 kilometres away. I will have to try to figure out how to get from London to Ipswich for a day trip soon.

I agree with the criticisms towards the marketing approach, and also find it a bit sad that, with Mika's unfortunate passing, Europe's largest Polar Bear enclosure will be devoted to just one bear - hopefully more arrive in the future, such as (as was suggested in another thread) the male from Peak WP when he matures.
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It’s not the male from Peak that will be moving in the future, but the cubs mum.

I wonder when the 5th UK zoo that has them is going to make their announcement about having them.
 
Alwaysevergreen said:
It’s not the male from Peak that will be moving in the future, but the cubs mum.

I wonder when the 5th UK zoo that has them is going to make their announcement about having them.
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5th? I know of HWP, YWP, Peak, Jimmy’s and …? I’m confused
 
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TriUK said:
5th? I know of HWP, YWP, Peak, Jimmy’s and …? I’m confused
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I thought Manor might be holding them.
Kalaw said:
Wonderful news. It's been great to see Polar Bears become more common in the UK as of late, but as the three previous holders are so far north, it was also a bit frustrating. Now there is a Polar Bear just 100 kilometres away. I will have to try to figure out how to get from London to Ipswich for a day trip soon.

I agree with the criticisms towards the marketing approach, and also find it a bit sad that, with Mika's unfortunate passing, Europe's largest Polar Bear enclosure will be devoted to just one bear - hopefully more arrive in the future, such as (as was suggested in another thread) the male from Peak WP when he matures.
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Maybe HWP’s Brodie when he matures.
 
Hope Jimmy's Farm don't mind me posting this

HELP US SAVE DIEGO – WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP

A beautiful brown bear will shortly be put to sleep if we do not raise enough funds to build him a world class enclosure here at Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park. The imminent closure of Orsa Predator Park in Sweden has recently hit the headlines. To make room for a leisure facility, the staff at Orsa were ordered to dispense of all animals & any that could not be removed were to be put to sleep.

We now have a mission on our hands and it’s a race against time as Diego is the last bear at the park. Please help us to raise enough money for Diego - to build him a large reserve and give him the best chance of survival.

We have recently rescued Ewa, a gorgeous polar bear and welcomed her to Europe’s largest polar bear enclosure. With your help, we hope to do the same for Diego.

Jimmy x

THE LAST BEAR - Diego, organized by Jimmys Farm
 
I wonder which subspecies of brown bear it is. If what I can gather from Zootierliste is correct, Orsa had three subspecies when it closed - European brown bears (several already seem to have left for new homes), Kamchatka brown bears and a single male Kodiak bear. I cannot find any information to verify where either of the latter subspecies have gone to.
 
Might not be the same bear as it is a while ago but using way back to look at the now deleted Orsa park website, there is a reference to a European bear named Diego in mid 2016 when he fathered two cubs.

https://web.archive.org/web/2016032...orn/bjornungar-fodda-i-orsa-rovdjurspark__633


Bear cubs born in Orsa Predator Park
This year, Orsa Carnivore Park turns 30 - and these days the female brown bear Mette has celebrated in her very own way by giving birth to two small cubs.

- This litter means a lot from a genetic point of view, as father Diego is game-caught. Now we look forward to a spring with play and mischief in the park, says Pernilla Thalin, zoo manager for Orsa Predator Park.

It was on the morning of Christmas Eve when the animal keepers at Orsa Rovdjurspark peeked into the female brown bear Mette's ide that they heard a beep. A closer look revealed two small newborn cubs nursing at Mette's chest. Normally the bears give birth to cubs in January, so this was an unusually early birth. It is dark inside the den and the bears are lying on a thick bed of straw, so it is difficult to see the cubs. Two small ones were seen, but there may be more.

This is Mette's second fun but Diego's first. Diego came to the park as a "hit bear", which makes the birth extra important for the park from a genetic point of view. All animal cubs born in the park during 2016 will be given names starting with the letter "I", even the bear cubs despite being born just before the New Year.

Almost all bears will continue to sleep until it is time to come out of their dens in March-April.

- The first day in the light is very exciting for them, especially if there is still snow. They will learn things from their mother Mette, but also meet the predator park's visitors for the first time. Now we look forward to a mischievous summer in the park, says Pernilla Thalin.
 
They only launched their gofundme page 24hrs ago and already has raised over £12,000 from a £70,000 target so fingers crossed
 
Just watched the interview with Jimmy Doherty on Good Morning Britain. The enclosure looks excellent, with a fourteen metre deep pool, a salt bath and both a woodland and grassland areas. What interested me the most is the fact that the Arctic Wolves will be let into the bear enclosure when Ewa is indoors, which would provide good enrichment through smells. Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but there will also be Red-breasted Goose as part of the overall tundra exhibit.

He also confirmed that Diego is a European Brown, and will be staying at Wildwood over winter while he hibernates, allowing Jimmy’s Farm more time to build his enclosure.
 
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